To See You Again
by EverydayGleek
Summary: At 8 years old, Emma experienced a life-defining moment; a moment that changed life as she knew it forever. Now, at 20 years old, Emma comes face-to-face with the cause of her life-defining moment, only, the cause of it doesn't seem to remember her...or so she thinks. SwanQueen AU.
1. Chapter 1

When I was eight years old, I experienced a life-defining moment. This moment was of the utmost importance throughout my childhood years up until my adult life; which is currently the stage I'm in now. Many people have asked me: "what kind of life-defining moment can an eight year old possibly have? Eight year olds aren't mature enough to know what a life-defining moment consists of." But that's a lie. Eight year olds are very capable of knowing and experiencing a life-defining moment, or at least _I_ was. I remember being a normal eight year old child before experiencing this particular moment. I had warm and attentive parents, I loved playing in the park with my older brother, August, and my best friends Ruby and Belle. I remember going over to Ruby's house every weekend to bake cookies with her and her grandmother. I remember a lot of the usual things I used to do before it happened, before I changed. Before _everything_ changed.

It was a chilly fall day in Storybrooke, Maine when I heard the news. The news wasn't bad or anything, it just came as a shock to me at the time. My mother, Mary-Margaret, had got a teaching position at the local college, Storybrooke Community College, and was to immediately start her position as a night-school professor. My father, David, who was the town's sheriff, had already been assigned to less-than pleasant hours, causing him to sleep at the station on most nights. It was a week before the start of the school year, and my brother had just gone off to college in Massachusetts, leaving me as the only child living under my parents' roof. I was upset at the possibility of being alone most nights, not being accustomed to not having my mom and brother at home waiting for me after school. It was a terrible feeling. The feeling of being abandoned; even if the abandonment wasn't permanent _or_ by choice, it still hurt.

At eight years old, I fussed and complained to my mother, telling her to reclaim her old job at my elementary school so that she and I can see each other throughout the day, and come home together on the days she didn't have to stay late. But just like a normal parent would do, she sat me down one night and explained why her job at the college would provide better pay and better opportunities for both her and myself. Being the selfish child that I was, I threw a minor temper tantrum and accused of her of being a horrible mother. I ignored the hurt expression and glossy eyes that looked my way and trudged up to bed, intent on ignoring my mother for as long as possible. Yet, throughout the night, her soft and apologetic voice, and her glossy eyes kept popping up in my head, leaving me with a nagging feeling of guilt. I decided then, at around 9:30 p.m., that I was going to apologize to my mom come the next morning.

But when morning came, my mother had already dismissed what occurred between us the night before. I opened my mouth to apologize several times during breakfast, but she shut down my apology each time and assured me that she fully forgave me; that she'd always forgive me no matter what because I was her daughter and she loved me. I remember letting out a defeated sigh and nodding to her, leaning into her touch when she cupped my face tenderly, placing a chaste kiss on my cheek.

I remember driving with her in the car on our way to my elementary school, and her telling me for the four nights a week that she worked, that I was going to have a babysitter. I scrunched up my nose at that, not at all liking the fact that I was going to have to be under the watchful eye of a bossy teenager. I told my mother the same thing and she just giggled, reassuring me that the girl she had picked out would be anything but. Of course, I didn't believe her at the time, and now, even at the age of 20, I _still_ don't believe her. I remember giving my mom a quick kiss on the cheek as we pulled up to my school and leaving the car, racing to my homeroom class. As soon as I sat down at my normal seat in-between Belle and Ruby, my mind kept straying to my possible babysitter. What would she look like? How old would she be? Would she be nice on the outside, but cruel on the inside? Would she like me? Would I like her? All of those questions swirled through my head throughout the school day, making it hard for me to pay attention to anything else.

It wasn't until I hopped on the school bus at the end of the day, did my nerves intensify tenfold. I was beyond nervous to meet my babysitter, and I was scared that she was going to be like the _Evil Queen_ from _Snow White_, or _Maleficent_ from _Sleeping Beauty_, or that evil mother from _The Sixth Sense_ who used to poison her children. I didn't know what to expect, I just knew that I was terrified that this girl was going to be everything I imagined and more. And that definitely wouldn't be a good thing.

I remember stepping off of my school bus and walking up my driveway. I remember stepping onto my front porch and seeing _her_ for the first time; a beautiful dark-haired girl, most likely a teenager, with mocha colored eyes and a dazzling smile. She was sitting on the swinging bench my dad had installed, using her feet to swing back and forth. The girl looked at me and smiled warmly, her eyes twinkling with recognition and her facial expression full of genuine kindness. I melted on the spot at the look she was giving me, butterflies appearing in my stomach and flapping around wildly; my heart beating loudly in my ears, feeling as if anyone within a mile radius could hear it. It was then that I knew that my life was going to change forever.

I knew in that moment that she was going to be the one who changed my life, whether she was aware of it or not.

She got up from the porch swing and walked over to me, kneeling down so she was down to my eye level. I remember smiling shyly at her, my cheeks tinged pink at the undivided attention she was giving me.

"Hi." She said in the most musical way, her raspy voice causing the butterflies in my stomach to be replaced by flying eagles. "I'm Regina, and I'll be your babysitter." She said to me softly, regarding me with kind eyes. I remember nodding numbly at that and whispering out "okay." I remember the beautiful laughter that followed my quiet admission, and the feeling of happiness that arose in my gut at the sound. "So, your mom gave me a spare key and told me to go inside and wait for you, but I didn't want you walking into your house and seeing a strange girl sitting on your couch and watching TV, so I waited out here for you." She told me as she unlocked the door. Together, we stepped inside, Regina immediately heading into the kitchen to pull out some random ingredients from the fridge. I remember watching her in a daze, completely hypnotized by everything she did. She intrigued me, and at the time, I didn't know why.

I know why now, but at eight years old I had absolutely no clue. All I do know is that Regina changed my life, and I'm not sure whether to be resentful towards her or grateful.

It's been 9 years since I last saw her, and there hasn't been a day that's gone by where I don't wonder what she's doing with her life, where she lives, who she's with, etc. Little did I know, I was going to get all of my answers a lot sooner than I thought.

**A/N: Just a heads up, this won't be some creepy child molestation type thing. Just in case any of you were wondering lol. Wanted to clear that up. **


	2. Chapter 2

It's the first day of the spring semester and the second semester of my sophomore year. I am so close to finishing my prerequisites, and I couldn't be happier. You see, I have a double major in journalism and criminology. I have a love for writing and a love for learning about different types of crime, and how these crimes were prevented or solved, so I figured "why not major in both fields"? It's a lot of work, yes, but I believe that in the end it will be worth it. Now, at twenty years old, I attend the University of Southern Maine, having gotten out of Storybrooke with my two best friends, Belle and Ruby, over a year ago. We were all accepted into the school on a full ride, all three of us having ranked in the top ten of our high school's graduating class. Belle, was of course the valedictorian, I ranked number five and Ruby ranked number eight. High school was a total breeze for us, and college, though a lot more demanding, isn't much different. We—Ruby, Belle, and I—always discussed getting out of Storybrooke together and getting an off-campus apartment together. We also discussed having serious boyfriends by the time we turned eighteen, and well, that never happened.

I realized at the age of eight that I was different from most girls my age. It wasn't until I was eleven that I was able to fully comprehend _why_. I realized that I liked girls, or better yet, I liked _one_ girl. Sadly, this girl was too old for me at the time and only saw me as the little sister she had never had. No one wants to hear from their crush that they're only seen as a friend, or in my case, as _family_. But, this hopeless crush occurred nine years ago and even though I should be over it by now, I'm not. I probably never will be. I haven't been able to look at another person the way I had my babysitter. I was led to believe by my brother, the only person I had ever discussed my feelings for my former babysitter with, that what I felt was just a silly juvenile crush that I would look back on a few years in the future, and laugh at. Though, I hated the fact that my brother easily dismissed my feelings for my former babysitter, I was grateful that he didn't dismiss my attraction to girls as a silly thing; instead, he told me to confide in him about it if I ever needed to. And I took advantage of that offer every chance I got.

I don't do that so much now, though. My brother is now thirty years old and married with two kids. He still lives in Massachusetts, where he attended UMass, and decided to settle down there. He is now head of the history department at UMass, and his wife, Rebecca, is the current dean of the school. They're like the professor power couple at the school, loved by all of the staff and students. I'm proud of all he's accomplished… I just wish he was available for me to talk to more often. It's not that Belle and Ruby don't know of my attraction to women, because they do, it's just that they don't know the full extent of what triggered my self-discovery and I'd rather not open that can of worms with them, Ruby especially. She was known as our town's biggest gossip and her reputation as a huge gossiper precedes her even in college. Some things just never change.

"Ems! Are you ready? We have to meet Ariel and Aurora at Starbucks in like five minutes. Hurry up and get out here." Ruby shouts from the other side of my bedroom door. I roll my eyes at her unnecessary shouting and grab my backpack from my desk chair, swinging the straps over my shoulders. I check my reflection in the mirror and shrug at my appearance; I guess I look decent enough. Or, as decent as one can look in a plain white V-neck, black sweatpants, all white Nikes, and a messy ponytail paired with thick black-rimmed glasses. I open my bedroom door, only to be met with Ruby and Belle leaning on the wall opposite of it, looking at me with exasperated expressions.

"What?" I ask them with a raised brow. They simultaneously roll their eyes at me, causing me to roll my eyes at them in return.

"We need to get moving right this minute if we want to have our caffeine fix before class. Now, come on." Ruby says hurriedly, grabbing me by the hand and dragging me out of our apartment with Belle following closely behind.

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"Hey guys, nice of you to show up." Ariel says sarcastically, a hint of a smile on her face. She moves in to hug me first, which I easily return and then she heads over to Ruby and Belle, repeating the same action. We go through the same routine with Aurora and then, finally, head into the coffee shop, ordering our coffees to go. Once we have our coffees in hand, we exit the Starbucks and idle at the shop front, taking tentative sips of our scalding hot drinks.

"So, I heard your professor is a bit of a hard ass." Ariel says to me as she takes another sip of her coffee. I look at her in confusion, wondering how she knows that… so I ask her.

"How do you even know who my professor is? _I_ don't even know my professor's name, it just shows up as TBA on my schedule." I tell her, tilting my head to the side as she sends me a smirk.

"Eric is taking the same class as you, except, he's in the class right now. I remember the room number you told me and he's in that room right now, and according to him, the professor will be in that room for her next class, which means that you most likely have the same professor. According to him, she's a bit of a hard ass, but she's really young and hot, so you might enjoy the view." Ariel says with an over-exaggerated wink. I groan at that and immediately begin walking in the direction of the building my class is located in, ignoring the laughter trailing behind me. Ariel, Eric, and Aurora, as well as three of our other friends, all know of my sexuality. I blame Ruby for that; she just can never keep her mouth shut. But I can't hate her for it, it's just in her nature.

"Emma, you know we're just teasing. Chances are, Belle and I will find her hot too." Ruby says with a wink as she catches up to me, linking her arm through mine. I roll my eyes playfully at her and offer a small smile. Like me, Ruby also plays for Team Lesbian, and Belle is our bisexual cheerleader. Once upon a time, back in tenth grade, Ruby and Belle were an item. They dated for a little over a year, and were convinced that they were in love with each other. That is, until they had sex for the first time together in junior year. Their relationship pretty much started dissipating from there and they realized that the spark between them was no longer there and that they were better off as friends. I was beyond glad that they came to that conclusion, because being the third wheel is so not ideal in any best friendship.

"You find everyone hot, Rubes." She shrugs nonchalantly in response, causing a giggle to escape my throat. Belle comes to the other side of me, linking her arm through my free one.

"I wonder if our professor is actually going to be a hard ass. I really hope she's not, I don't know how much leisure reading I'll be able to get away with if she is." Belle says with a pout. Ruby and I laugh at that as we reach our classroom, turning back to Aurora and Ariel to bid them farewell as they head to their class. As we step inside, we see a brunette woman standing at the front of the room with her back to the class. Ruby, Belle, and I quickly take our seats in the middle row, pulling out our materials needed for the class, and placing them on our desk. As Ruby and Belle fall into easy conversation, I take a moment to admire our professor's backside. She's got one hell of an ass, not too big, not too small, just nice and perfectly round. My eyes then trail down to her slender tan legs; so lean, and so long. I don't even realize how long I've been leering at her, until she turns around to face the class, her name written in large loopy handwriting on the dry-erase board. She looks so familiar, but where do I know her from?

And then she opens her mouth to speak, and it hits me. I'd know that musical, raspy voice anywhere. This is the voice I've heard in my dreams for the last nine years, the same voice that I had been accustomed to for the three years that I was under this person's care, for four days a week. But it can't really be her, can it? Of all the places I thought I'd see her again…this was not where I was expecting. Or, maybe it isn't her and I'm just hoping it is? Maybe-

"Hello class, my name is Professor Regina Mills and welcome to Ethics 101. I am going to ask you all to come up to the front and grab a syllabus so we can get started."

Shit, it's really her. I get up at the same time as my other classmates and walk down to the front table holding the syllabi. As I am up to grab a syllabus, I catch the professor's eye, trying to somehow spark recognition in her familiar mocha eyes…but all I get in return is a blank stare. I sigh to myself and walk back to my seat with my syllabus in hand. Once everyone else is back in their seats, Professor Mills takes a seat atop her desk, smiling at the class.

"Well, now that you've all got your syllabus, let's get started." And with that, she goes over every page of the syllabus, going over her office hours, the required materials needed for the course, the grading rubric, our future assignments, and so on. This goes on for about thirty minutes until she reaches the last page of the syllabus, asking us if we have questions regarding what we've covered. When no one raises their hand, she nods to herself and looks up at the clock. "Well, we still have about twenty minutes left of class time, but it's the first day, so you are all free to go. I'll see you all again on Wednesday, and please make sure you have your books next time we meet. We'll be discussing chapter 1." She says in dismissal, retreating behind her desk to gather up her things. Once everyone else is already out of the classroom, Belle and Ruby lingering by the door waiting for me, I move closer to the professor. I guess she hears my footsteps coming towards her, and she snaps her head up, looking at me with a curious expression, her eyebrows raised in question.

"Do you have a question, Miss..?"

"Nolan. Emma Nolan, but I often go by Emma Swan, as a nickname…or just Swan…um…I forgot why I came up here, so I'll see you on Wednesday Professor." I ramble to her, quickly turning around to exit the classroom, doing my best to ignore Ruby and Belle's looks of amusement. It isn't until I hear a "See you Wednesday Miss Emma Nolan Swan-just-Swan" behind me that I slow down my steps, allowing Ruby and Belle to catch up to me.

"What the hell was that, Ems?"

"It looks like Emma's got a thing for our professor." Belle says teasingly.

Oh, you have no idea how right you are, Belle. No. Idea.

**A/N: Are you interested in me continuing? If so, let me know; I love receiving feedback. The next few chapters should be a little longer and I have a good idea of what I want to do with this story, so I guess until next time you guys :P Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorite(d) so far. I hope you all enjoy this story and continue to do so in the future! **


	3. Chapter 3

It is absolutely insane how things work themselves out. Just last week my thoughts of my former babysitter continued to assault my brain, making it hard for me to think of anything else. And then, suddenly, she appears out of freaking nowhere and ends up being my professor. I don't know whether to cry tears of joy at seeing her again, or tears of frustration because she doesn't seem to remember me. Currently, I'm opting for the second option. She's so beautiful, even more beautiful than she was nine years ago-if that's even possible. She was beautiful then, but now, she's a different type of beautiful. A mature type of beautiful.

Maybe that's why she no longer remembers me. I've matured too, and in more ways than one. I'm no longer that scrawny 11 year old girl with lifeless blonde hair and baggy clothes that hang off of my petite frame, making me appear twice as small as I actually was. My voice has deepened since then and is no longer high-pitched and screechy, my body has filled out deliciously, and I'm, like, totally hot now. Maybe her not remembering me is a good thing. Maybe I can start over with her in a way? I mean, I am now of the legal age to be with her, so maybe if I play my cards right, I just may have a chance.

Oh, who am I kidding? That'll never happen. We may seem closer in age now, but she's still my elder, and she's still more experienced and more versed in the world than I am. Gosh, she's just so beautiful and smart and everything I wish that I was.

How can I get her to notice me? How can I get her to _remember_ me?

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"Alright class, I would like for you to take out your textbooks so we can begin discussing chapter 1." Professor Mills says to the class, taking a seat on her desktop, while her book is opened up and resting atop her lap. I open up my backpack to pull out my book, and once I have it out, I place it on my desktop. I look up to do my secret leering at Regina, but am surprised when I catch Regina staring back at me, a smirk gracing her lips. My cheeks turn pink as I shrink under her gaze. Before I can look away, she winks at me and clears her throat loudly, sliding off of her desk to stand on her feet.

"Okay everyone, let's begin." I watch in awe as Regina strides across the room, her book in hand, and her gaze penetrating into each and every student as she discusses the chapter. I smirk in amusement as the men in the class suck up to Regina, doing their best to answer each and every question she's asked... Of course, they completely ignore the fact that all of the questions she's asked have been rhetorical. I continue to watch her as she reclaims the desktop as her seat, her legs crossing over one another. My mouth waters at the sight of her tanned legs…so toned and delicious. My eyes, then, travel upwards, settling on her moving, plump and ruby red lips. I continue staring at her lips, imagining what they would feel like against my own. It isn't until I hear my name being called, that I snap my attention away from her mouth and meet her eyes.

"Miss Nolan, what are your thoughts on this?" Regina asks pointedly. I blink my eyes a few times, reeling my head for an answer...but then I remember I have no idea what she even asked in the first place.

"I um...I agree?" I question more than state. Ruby and Belle snort at my confused answer, and Regina raises an amused brow.

"So you agree with the practice of euthanasia?" She asks with a smirk. My cheeks flush crimson at that, and the entire class snickers at my expense. "Next time pay attention, Miss Nolan." I nod and she continues on with the lesson. After about twenty more minutes of the lecture, we are dismissed. As I gather up my things, I make my way to the exit, only to be stopped by that familiar raspy voice. "Miss Nolan, a word?" Regina asks. I gulp inaudibly and ignore Belle and Ruby's teasing smirks as I turn around to face the professor.

"Yes?" I ask nervously.

"I would appreciate it if you kept your leering to a minimum. Not that I'm not flattered, because I am, but I would appreciate it if you paid more attention to my lesson, and not my legs." I'm pretty sure my cheeks have turned permanently red with all of the blushing I've done in the last hour. I nod silently and watch as an amused smile blooms on her face. "Well, that was all I needed to say. I will see you again on Friday, Miss Nolan Swan-just Swan." My mouth goes dry at the wink she sends me next. She's winked at me twice today; TWICE! Maybe I have a chance after all. "Have a good day." She says to me in dismissal. I offer her a tiny smile and nod silently, turning on my heels to meet an amused Ruby and Belle at the door.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but did she just wink at you?" Ruby asks incredulously, a hint of a smirk on her lips.

"Did she? I hadn't noticed…" I mumble as I increase the speed in my steps, trying to surpass my nosy friends.

"Oh my gosh, she did! Whoa. Looks like Emma's got a shot with the hot professor." Ruby exclaims teasingly.

"Shut up, Ruby." I hiss out as we make our way out of the building.

"Hey, you should feel like a total bad ass. You've got the sexiest teacher I have ever seen winking at you. I'm totally jealous." Ruby says with her smirk still in place.

"Ditto." Belle says with a matching smirk. I roll my eyes and shake my head at them in dismissal.

"We are so done talking about this."

"_For now_. We definitely will be bringing this up again, Ems. Just you wait!" Ruby exclaims as I walk past her and Belle and hop onto the waiting campus shuttle. Belle and Ruby quickly follow after me and hop onto the shuttle, immediately starting up a conversation unrelated to Regina. I exhale in relief and rest my head against the back of the shuttle seat, listening as Ruby and Belle talk about some reality television show they watched last night. I let their voices muffle away as my mind becomes filled with images of Regina.

She fucking winked at me. Twice.

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Studying. That's what I spend all of my free time doing, well, except when my mind strays to a certain brown-eyed brunette. When I start to think about Regina, then that's all my mind is capable of thinking about. She's captivating in every way, and nine years apart hasn't caused me to lose interest in her, in fact, it's only done the opposite. I want to get to know her again, maybe even get to know her better than I did when I was between the ages of 8 and 11. Sure, we were close, but I was still seven years younger than her and I'm pretty sure she only told me a few selected details about herself. Not that I blame her, she was a teenager at the time, and I was just a little elementary kid who probably wouldn't fully comprehend everything she had to say.

I sigh to myself and shake my head back and forth repeatedly, hoping to clear my thoughts of the beautiful brunette. I came here to the library to study, and that's damn well what I'm going to do while I'm here. I can't lose focus and spend all of my time thinking about Regina. I just can't. Even though she totally winked at me twice today. Fucking twice! It was by far the sexiest thing I've ever seen in my life…and that's coming from someone who has seen Ruby fully naked. I shake my head to clear the direction of my thoughts again, and decide to focus all of my attention on my forensic science textbook. I buckle down and begin answering the questions for my homework assignment. I make it to number 10 before all of my previous thoughts come rushing back. I sigh in defeat and close my textbook, leaning back in the chair with arms above my head in a stretch.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Nolan Swan-just Swan." I hear a familiar raspy voice say. My body snaps upright in my seat, and I come face-to-face with none other than Regina Mills. I gulp as I take in the sight of her short, black pencil skirt and white button down shirt (that has the first three buttons undone). She's trying to kill me, I swear. I gulp nervously and offer her a tiny smile.

"Hey, Professor Mills. What brings you here?" I ask her shyly. She smiles at me and holds up a handful of books. "Oh…right; this is the library…duh." I say lamely, causing her to chuckle. My cheeks burn crimson as she stares down at me in amusement.

"You're a funny one, Miss Nolan. Well, anyway, I just came over here to say hello. I'm going to go check out these books and be on my way. See you around, Miss Nolan." Regina says with a smile…followed by a fucking wink. This is the third wink I've gotten today! She has to remember me, right? You don't just wink at someone you've only known for two days! I decide to bite the bullet and just ask.

"Professor Mills?" I say unsurely just as she's about to walk away. She halts her movements and turns around to face me, her brow arched in question.

"Have we met before?" I ask her, even though I'm very aware of the answer; I just hope she tells me yes. She tilts her head to the side in confusion and shakes her head in the negative.

"No, I don't think we have." She says with a shrug. I sigh sadly and nod.

"Oh…well, goodnight, Professor Mills. I hope you reach home safely." I tell her quietly as I gather up my things and prepare to leave. She watches me silently for a moment and offers me another smile.

"You too, dear. Drive safely." And with that, she turns on her heels and heads to the checkout counter. I watch her go, my eyes falling to her perfectly round ass and toned legs. I allow my eyes to linger for a moment before I head into the opposite direction towards the library exit.

My new life goal: Get Regina to remember me.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: New chapter! Flashbacks are in italics and are told in third person POV. Next chapter there will be more flashbacks, and a little more Emma/Regina interaction. I hope you are all enjoying the story! Please review! **

"Hey, Ems! Where's the fire?" Belle asks loudly behind me, her accent coming out thicker than usual. I turn around and smile sheepishly at her, slowing down my strides to our ethics class in order to fall into step with her and Ruby. As I walk beside them, my two friends look at me in amusement, my cheeks tinging pink at their knowing smirks.

"Oh, I think the fire is in the form of a Latina ethics professor. Just think of Emma as a moth; she's simply just attracted to the flame. You can think of me as a moth as well, because I am right there with her." Ruby says with a chuckle, throwing an exaggerated wink at me. My cheeks burn brighter at that, and I face forward, ignoring the teasing smirks Ruby and Belle throw my way. Ruby lets out a breathy chuckle and links her arm through mine, resting her head on my shoulder briefly as we walk into the building. "Relax Emma, I'm only joking…well, partially. Professor Mills is totally hot, and I totally don't blame you for crushing on her." Ruby says softly. I scoff at her and shake my head in the negative.

"I do _not_ have a crush on Regina." I say unconvincingly. Ruby and Belle look at me with a strange expression, a strange smirk crossing their faces.

"Oh, so it's _Regina_ now? I didn't realize you two were on a first-name basis." Ruby says with a quirked brow. I realize my slip-up and sputter out a string of gibberish and feel my face warm with another blush. I haven't told them who Regina was to me yet, but I'm sure they'd get a kick out of my former babysitter being my current college professor. Ugh, I haven't even seen Regina today, but just the mention of her causes me to blush like a little schoolgirl.

"We aren't, I just-shut up!" I defend weakly, ignoring the chuckles coming out of Ruby and Belle's mouths. As we make our way into our class, I immediately spot Regina sitting on top of her desk, her gorgeous legs crossed one over the other. Today, she's wearing a gray pencil skirt paired with another white button down, except, unlike our encounter in the library two nights ago, only the first button is undone on the blouse. As I begin following Ruby and Belle up the stairs leading up to the middle row where our usual seats are placed, I catch Regina's eye, the brunette aiming a small smile at me before her eyes snap back to the textbook in her hand. Butterflies fill my stomach at that smile…no matter how small and insignificant that small smile may seem to someone watching from an outside point-of-view, that smile meant the world to me. That was the smile that made me fall for her in the first place.

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_**12 Years Ago**_

"_Regina?" 8 year old Emma says timidly, careful not to startle the teenaged girl sitting on her couch, the brunette concentrating intently on an open page of one of her textbooks. A 15 year old Regina slowly turns towards the 8 year old with a soft smile on her face. _

"_Yes, sweetie? Do you need something?" Regina asks the little blonde girl kindly, internally giggling at the timid look on the younger girl's face. Emma's cheeks tinge pink at the smile being aimed at her by Regina, a reluctant smile of her own starting to form on her lips. _

"_I was wondering if you could help me with my history homework." Emma mutters quietly. "It's okay if you can't, I see that you're busy with your own…I could wait 'til your done or something…" Emma mutters out again, Regina smiling at the adorableness of the girl before her. Regina places a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder, the blonde's green eyes locking onto Regina's brown ones. Regina smiles brightly at Emma this time, the butterflies in the blonde's stomach suddenly emerging and flapping around wildly. She's gotten the butterflies in her stomach before, during her first encounter with Regina…but this seemed different. These butterflies meant something; Emma just didn't know what; but she figured that she could figure it out another time. First things first, though: get help with homework. _

"_Of course I'll help you, just bring your homework over here and tell me what you need help with, okay?" Regina says gently. Emma nods at her with a wide smile and turns on her heels, scampering off in the direction of the kitchen counter where her textbook and homework was laid out. Emma grabs her things and goes back into the living room, taking a seat beside the older brunette. Regina closes her own textbook and faces towards Emma, the bright smile still on her face. "Okay, what would you like me to help you with?"_

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It was then that I started noticing that the butterflies in my stomach meant _something_…I just didn't know _what_. It wasn't until I was 10, did I finally figure it out for sure. Except, even at 10, I still wasn't sure of the extent of my feelings for the brunette. I'm suddenly snapped, and I mean _literally_ _snapped_, out of my thoughts by Ruby's fingers snapping in front of my face repeatedly, successfully pulling me out of my thoughts. I blink my eyes a few times, finally turning my attention to Ruby to see a concerned expression on her face.

"You alright there, Swan? You just blanked out for a good ten minutes." Ruby whispers to me. I'm about to ask her why she's whispering when I notice Regina walking about the classroom, her textbook in hand, and all of the class' attention on her. My mouth opens in shock when I realize that the lecture has already started. I clear my throat awkwardly and muster up a small smile at Ruby.

"I'm fine, I just got lost in thought." I whisper back to her. She cocks a brow at me and tilts her head to the side; studying me.

"What were you thinking about?" She whispers curiously. I just shrug at her and avoid making eye contact with her. Ruby can read me just by looking into my eyes. It's almost as if she could read my every thought and stare into my soul. So, I avoid looking directly at her.

"Just school stuff." I whisper in reply, my eyes facing to the front of the class, watching Regina's every move as she explains something in the book. I am so lost as to what we're even discussing that I don't even notice Ruby flipping my textbook to the appropriate page. I look down at the page in my book, Ruby's index finger pointing to the section Regina is explaining. I look back to Ruby and smile at her in thanks. She shrugs nonchalantly and shoots me a small smirk as she faces forward, giving Regina her undivided attention.

I listen to Regna as she discusses Kantian ethics, not quite following along, considering that I missed the first ten minutes of her lecture, but I'm still trying nonetheless. I watch as her ruby red lips move with every word she says, noticing the tiny smirk that quirks at the corners of her mouth as my male classmates try to woo her with their _correct_ and _impressive_ answers. I roll my eyes at their obvious ass-kissing and chuckle to myself as one of the male students blow a kiss at Regina, receiving a less-than-amused eye-roll from her. Regina, then, turns back to her textbook, reading out another paragraph of our chapter, calling on Ruby to give her interpretation of what the chapter means. I turn to Ruby and listen as she gives an elaborate and well-thought out answer, impressing both Regina and myself with her quick thinking,

"Well-said, Miss Lucas." Regina says to her with a small smile, her eyes drifting to me and lingering on my face for a few moments before she moves on, looking up at the clock. I follow her line of sight and see that there's still ten minutes left of class. Regina turns back to the class and gives us a bright smile, a smile that I was familiar with during my elementary years. The smile that helped start it all. The smile that helped clarify my feelings. "I'm going to stop here, we'll continue this discussion on Monday. Be sure to complete the discussion questions posted on my website, and bring it to class to turn in. Have a nice weekend, everyone! See you next week!" Regina says to the quickly dispersing class. Ruby, Belle, and I get up from our seats and begin packing up our belongings, more than ready to head out and begin our weekend. As we walk down the aisle stairs and make our way to the exit, Regina stops us, aiming an impressed smile at Ruby.

"I was very impressed with your interpretation, Miss Lucas. It was well-thought out and very insightful, well done." Regina praises, patting Ruby in a friendly matter on the shoulder. Ruby blushes at the attention and smiles back.

"Thanks, Professor."

"See you all next week, have a nice weekend." Regna says to us, aiming a small smile at me as Ruby and Belle head out. I linger by the door for a few seconds and stare at Regina, surprised to see her staring back at me. "Did you need something, Miss Nolan-Swan-just Swan?" Regina asks with a tilt of her head, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. I flush under her gaze and shrug awkwardly.

"Are you sure you and I have never met before?" I ask her. She raises a brow at me and shakes her head in the negative.

"I don't think so, Miss Nolan. I'm pretty sure I would have remembered meeting you."

"Why are you so sure that you would have remembered?" I ask curiously. She smirks at me.

"Because it's not every day that I meet a woman as gorgeous as you, so _trust me_…I would have remembered you." Regina says, not in a flirty tone, but in a matter-of-fact tone. I blush at her admission and nod absently. "Just out of curiosity, how old are you, Miss Nolan?" Regina asks suddenly, my face scrunching up in confusion at the random question.

"20, why?" I ask, my confusion still completely evident on my face. She looks lost in thought for a moment, shaking herself out of her momentary daze before offering me a small smile.

"No reason, but hey, it looks like we're close in age. I just turned 27." Regina says with a chuckle, her eyes getting a distant glint in them as she stares at me with intrigue.

"What?" I ask her curiously.

"Nothing, Emma. You should go, your friends are waiting for you." She says to me, causing me to turn my head past the classroom exit and down the hall where my friends are waiting on a stray bench. Ruby and Belle are in deep conversation, occasionally glancing in my direction before turning back to one another to continue their conversation. "I'll see you next week, Miss Nolan." And with that, Regina turns on her heels and walks towards her desk, gathering up her belongings. I take that as my cue to leave, turning around with my backpack on my shoulder, and walking towards my two friends. They both stand up when I approach them and motion for me to follow them. Once we're out of the building, Ruby and Belle turn towards me, curious expressions on their faces.

"What?" I ask self-consciously.

"What were you and the professor discussing? Did anything you guys discuss relate to having hot and steamy sex in her office?" Ruby says with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows. Belle and I snort at that.

"No Rubes. We were just talking about the assignment due on Monday." I lie easily. They eye me suspiciously, obviously not believing my lie, but neither of them question it.

"If you say so, Ems." Ruby says in a sing-song voice. Belle giggles at her and I just roll my eyes at the two. They are so going to end up dating again. I can just see it happening. "Let's head home, make some lunch, and talk about how hot you are for Professor Mills." Ruby declares loudly, my eyes widening in embarrassment as the subject of our discussion passes by us, slowing down to raise a brow at us. Ruby, Belle, and I flush in embarrassment at Regina's amused smirk. Wordlessly, Regina walks past us, the amused smirk still on her lips.

"I hate you." I grumble out. Ruby smiles sheepishly and drags me and Belle by the hands, leading us over to the waiting shuttle buses.

"Well, if she ever realizes that she wants you, at least she'll know that you want her too!"

I despise Ruby's logic. I despise the fact that I am considering the possibility of Regina wanting me, even more.

I despise the fact that Regina still doesn't remember me, the _most_. Looks like getting her to remember me is going to take a lot of work. Damn it…


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Set two weeks after last chapter. All mistakes made are mine… Hope you enjoy anyhow!**

_**11 years ago**_

_9 year old Emma dances around her ballet studio, clad in her leotard, tutu, and ballet flats. She pliés in a slow and graceful manner, her hand resting on the ballet bar her father had installed into their empty garage. Her father, David, had turned their empty garage into a makeshift dance studio. Mirrors aligned two of the four walls, a ballet bar was bolted into one of the mirror-less walls, and the former concrete ground was now covered in hardwood flooring. Emma releases her hand from the bar, and walks to stand in the center of the room. She stands on her tippy toes, allowing her feet to carry her around the room in a swift and graceful manner. Emma, then, places both her heels on the ground, raising up slightly to pull her legs into a flawless retire' devant position. She allows her heels to fall back to the ground again and lets out a tired sigh. Before she decides to call it a day with her ballet practice, Emma twirls in place, her spins getting faster and faster until she finds herself becoming dizzy. She quickly stops her movements when she hears a quiet clapping coming from the garage entrance. The 9 year old turns her head in the direction of the clapping, spotting her babysitter standing at the door with a large grin on her face._

"_That was excellent. I didn't know you did ballet." Regina says to Emma in an impressed tone. Emma blushes at the 16 year olds prideful smile and shrugs her shoulder nonchalantly. _

"_Yeah…I've been taking lessons since I was five. Please don't tell anyone though, it's a secret." Emma tells Regina with wide, scared eyes. Regina giggles at the girl's dramatics and offers her an amused smile._

"_Don't worry, Miss Swan, your secret is safe with me."_

"_Swan? Um, Regina, my last name is Nolan." Emma states confusedly. Regina lets out a musical laugh, causing the familiar butterflies to flutter in the blonde's stomach. _

"_I know that, Emma. It's a nickname. Though you're usually very tomboyish and clumsy, you move as graceful as a Swan when you dance. So, from now on, I shall call you Swan." Regina states. Emma grins widely at the new nickname._

"_Okay." Emma says breathlessly, the wide grin still on her face. Regina reaches out a hand in Emma's direction for the blonde to take. Emma takes Regina's hand with a blush and allows the brunette to pull her into the house. "Let's go make us some dinner, Swan."_

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**Present Day**

I remember that day like it was yesterday; the day that I earned the nickname, '_Swan'_. I'm pretty sure that most people assume my nickname came from Ruby, Belle, August, or my parents, but no…It came from Regina. I remember the day after Regina officially dubbed me as, '_Swan'_; I was so excited and smiley all day. I couldn't keep my excitement to myself. I ended up telling Ruby and Belle of the nickname my amazing babysitter gave me, and much to my annoyance, they began calling me '_Swan'_, as well. I remember wanting only Regina to call me it, but I couldn't tell them that…they'd want to know why _they_ couldn't and I didn't want to explain why. They would be suspicious. But they managed to be suspicious anyhow, wondering why I would be compared to a swan of all things. I didn't want to tell them that I secretly did ballet. I would never hear the end of it if I did. It wasn't that I was ashamed of my dancing…it was quite the opposite actually. I was proud it, of myself, but I didn't want them to know about it. Even at the young age of nine, I wanted to have something that was just for me. Something I could call my own.

Except, after Regina caught me dancing, it was no longer just for me. I allowed myself to share it with her, as well.

Though my parents were very much aware of my ballet lessons, seeing as how they paid for them, the only person besides them that knew of my hobby was my brother. And he only knew about it because we lived together. I think that, at the time, I should've realized how important Regina already was to me. After the first time Regina caught my dance session in the garage, I allowed her to sit in and watch me every time after that. I would never have let Ruby or Belle sit in like that, and they've been my best friends since I was two. That's seriously saying something.

"Hey, Ems." Ruby says as she opens my room door and peeks head in. I'm currently sitting on my bed with my laptop resting in my lap, opened up on my Facebook timeline. I look up at Ruby distractedly, my eyebrow raised in question. She seems to hear my silent _"what?"_ and clears her throat to answer. "Belle and I are heading to the library to work on our ethics assignment…do you want to come with?"

"That's okay…I actually did the assignment last night." I tell her. Ruby nods.

"Okay…well, do you want to come with us anyway?" I sigh to myself. It's not like I have anything better to do with my spare time. I look back up at Ruby and nod. She smiles at me and nods back. "Awesome! We'll be leaving in 10 minutes." With that, Ruby closes my room door and I get from the bed and throw on a stray pair of jeans and my USM sweatshirt. I close up my laptop and pull the charger out of the wall, wrapping it up as I place both items in my backpack. I grab my phone off of my dresser, shoulder my backpack, and then head out into the living room where I catch Ruby bent over the couch, most likely plugging out her laptop charger. I laugh quietly to myself as I catch Belle's eyes lingering on Ruby's ass, biting down on her lower lip roughly, while fumbling awkwardly with her hands. Belle's got it bad for Ruby…._again_. Or did her attraction to her ever stop?

"Hey, Belle!" I say loudly, laughing out loud as Belle's head turns towards me in a comically fast manner, her eyes widened in embarrassment.

"Emma! How long have you been standing there? You gave me a fright." Belle mutters out awkwardly. By then, Ruby was standing up straight, her laptop charger now being placed inside her backpack. Ruby shoulders her bag and looks between Belle and I, taking in the sight of my amused expression and Belle's deer-in-headlights expression.

"Am I missing something?" Ruby asks in confusion.

"No! No, you're not missing anything….let's go!" I snort at Belle's quick departure, a chuckle escaping my throat as Ruby stares at me questioningly.

"C'mon, Rubes, let's go."

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"Well, if it isn't Miss Nolan Swan-just swan." I hear behind me. I ditched Ruby and Belle about half an hour ago upon arriving at the library. While they booked a study room with two of our other friends who also take Regina's class, Killian and Eric, I decided to find an empty table behind the stacks. I'm so far in the back that I was sure I'd be hidden from view, but it looks like Regina always manages to find me; seeing as she's currently standing right in front of me.

"Hey, Professor Mills." I say to her with a shy smile.

"Hey. What are you up to, Miss Nolan? Doing my assignment I hope." She says with a smirk. I smirk back in response.

"I finished it yesterday after class. So, what brings you to the library on a Saturday afternoon? Shouldn't you be out on a hot lunch date or grading papers or _something_?" I ask her with a playful smile. She chuckles lowly at my questions and shakes her head with an amused smile. My heart flutters at her beautiful smile and the butterflies begin to flutter in my stomach at the sound of her raspy chuckle.

"Well, just like you, I finished all of my work yesterday. So, do you mind if I join you?" Regina asks me, gesturing to the empty seat across from me. I nod enthusiastically—a little too enthusiastically. She giggles at my eagerness and takes the seat across from me, placing a handful of books on the tabletop, which causes my eyes to widen in surprise. I didn't even notice she had anything in her hands. Goes to show how unobservant I am to my surroundings when she's smiling at me. "So, how have you been, Miss Nolan? You haven't stayed back after class to ask me random questions in the last two weeks. I have to say, I'm kind of shocked." Regina says with a smirk, though the look in her eyes tells me that she really _is_ shocked that I haven't gone up to talk to her in the last two weeks. I blame Ruby's comment about me being hot for her. I also blame Regina for walking by at that given moment. Couldn't she have passed by, like, 2 minutes later instead? Ugh. Of course, I don't tell her that…

"Well, about that… I just haven't had any random questions to ask lately." I lie as convincingly as I can, but obviously not convincing enough because Regina smirks at me in knowing amusement.

"Are you sure that you're not avoiding me because of Miss Lucas' comment about you being—what was it?—oh yes, I believe she said that you were '_hot for Professor Mills'._" Regina said with her amused smirk in place, laughing in delight as a blush takes over my cheeks and travels to the tip of my ears. "Oh, sweetie. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm used to my students having crushes on me, there's nothing wrong with that."

"So, that doesn't make you uncomfortable?" I ask her with a raised brow. She shrugs and offers me a small reassuring smile.

"When I was a freshman in college, I had a huge crush on my English professor. In my opinion, having an innocent crush on a teacher is normal." Regina says softly. I capture bottom lip between my teeth and nod.

"Right… I guess it is." I say unsurely.

"It is. It's also totally flattering, so thank you." She says to me with a playful wink. I chuckle at her silly wink and feel myself relax in her presence.

"Well, you're welcome for flattering you?" I say unsurely, causing her to giggle. I smile internally at the sound. How could someone so mature and sexy make a sound so adorable? A vibrating noise suddenly fills our little space and I look to see Regina pulling out her cell phone. I watch as she stares at her phone screen with a small smile on her face, and then types out a reply to what I'm assuming is a text message. She puts her phone away and looks back up at me with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness just now, but I have to get going. It looks like I have somewhere to be. It was really nice talking to you, Miss Nolan-Swan-just swan." Regina says to me with a small smile before rising up from her seat and picking up her stack of books from the tabletop.

"It's no problem, Professor. I'll see you on Monday." I tell her. She nods and begins to turn away, before she suddenly stops and turns back towards me with an unreadable expression on her face. I've noticed that for the last two weeks, she's been staring at me with the same unreadable and searching expression. One that I can't quite understand.

"Where did the nickname '_Swan_' come from?" She asks randomly, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. Out of everything she could have said just now, _that_ wasn't what I was expecting.

"Um…well, when I was nine, my former babysitter began calling me that. I used to be highly involved in ballet when I was younger, and though I was very clumsy while doing mundane things, I was graceful when dancing… so she began calling me '_Swan'_." I tell her softly, carefully watching her face for a flash of recognition. Nothing but hope filling my gut. I see her eyes brighten with the recognition I was looking for. And then that recognition turns to genuine shock.

"_Emma?!"_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Firstly, I would like to say that the response to the last chapter was pretty great. I'm glad that you guys are enjoying the story so far! If only I could get a big response like that for every chapter lol. Thank you all to those who took the time to review, as well as favorite and follow the story. So, here is a new chapter! Hope you all enjoy :D**

_**Previously…..**_

"_Where did the nickname 'Swan' come from?" She asks randomly, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. Out of everything she could have said just now, that wasn't what I was expecting. _

"_Um…well, when I was nine, my former babysitter began calling me that. I used to be highly involved in ballet when I was younger, and though I was very clumsy while doing mundane things, I was graceful when dancing… so she began calling me 'Swan'." I tell her softly, carefully watching her face for a flash of recognition. Nothing but hope filling my gut. I see her eyes brighten with the recognition I was looking for. And then that recognition turns to genuine shock._

"_Emma?!"_

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"_Emma?!"_

"That would be me, yes." I say to her with a small smile. Her widened eyes remain on me, her gaze darting over my face, drinking in my features. Her jaw slackens in surprise as her eyes remain fixed on my face, disbelief written all over her features.

"Wow…" I giggle quietly at her stunned expression and wait patiently for her to say something more. And after five minutes of stunned silence, she finally does. "I can't believe it. How the hell did I not recognize you? How the hell did I not put two and two together? Just…wow…." I snort in amusement and flash her another smile.

"You said that already." I tell her. She closes her eyes for a few seconds before reopening them, shaking her head repeatedly as a way to shake herself out of her daze.

"You've gotten so…." She trails off, her head tilting to the side as she stares at me.

"So…._what_?" I ask curiously.

"_Hot_. Like, really hot. I feel odd for even saying that, seeing as how I viewed you as a little sister figure for three years of my life. You've matured quite well, dear." Regina says in awe.

"Thanks…" I say hesitantly, the blush on my cheeks returning full force at the compliment. Regna places the books in her hands back on the tabletop and reclaims the seat across from me. I stare at her in amusement as she stares down at the tabletop intently, most likely trying to arrange her obviously scattered thoughts.

"So, how have you been? How are your parents? How's your brother doing? Do you still do ballet and karate? Did you ever tell Ruby and Belle about your ballet lessons?" Regina fires off rapidly, causing me to chuckle.

"Slow down, Regina." I say with a breathless laugh. "To answer your first question: I've been well, as you can clearly see." I say with a wink that causes her to laugh lowly. "My parents are also fine. My mom is now the head of the English department at Storybrooke Community College and my dad is still Sheriff of the town. I no longer do ballet, or karate, but I still have the skills down pat. And Ruby and Belle found out that I did ballet in the 7th grade, and from then on, they came to every last one of my recitals. But enough about me, how have you been?" I ask after listing off the answers to her previous slew of questions. She grins widely at me and opens her mouth to answer, only to shut it again when her phone begins vibrating loudly. She holds up a finger and fishes out her phone, swiping her thumb across the screen and putting the device to her ear.

I watch as her ruby red lips move with every word she says, her brows crinkling in concentration as she listens intently to the person on the other line. I shudder internally as her pink tongue slides across her plump bottom lip, her lips then quirking up into a tiny smile. After a few more seconds of talking on the phone, Regina bids farewell to the other person on the line, and puts her phone back onto the tabletop.

"Sorry about that. That was my best friend, Katherine. I'm supposed to be meeting her for a late lunch soon. So, um….where were we?"

I smile softly at her and repeat my question. "How have you been?"

"Right. I've been very well, thank you for asking." Regina answers in a polite tone. I giggle at her formal sounding answer, causing her eyebrows to knit together in confusion.

"You don't have to be overly polite and formal when talking to me. I'm your student, remember?" I remind her. She releases a small giggle and nods.

"Right, sorry. Force of habit." She says to me sheepishly, a slight blush covering her cheeks.

"So, what have you been up to in the last 9 years? Are you married? Have any kids? Have a babysitting side job?" I ask teasingly. She laughs at that and smiles brightly at me.

"Well, after I got out of Storybrooke, I attended here for both my undergrad and Master's degree. I didn't officially start teaching here until last year, and I love it so far. Most of my students are amazing. As for your other, more personal, questions…the answer is no to all. I haven't had much luck in the romance department, so no, I'm not married, and I refuse to have a child on my own, so no children either. As for having a side babysitting job? Definitely not. I haven't babysat since my sophomore year of college." She says. A glimmer of hope appears before me when she mentions that she's single…but I quickly shut it down as soon as it appears. Just because she's single, doesn't mean she'd be interested in me. Besides, I don't even know if she plays for my team. For all I know, she's just naturally flirty with everyone. Maybe if I decided to flirt back, I could get a reaction out of her that will make her sexual orientation known to me.

"Well, I'm surprised someone as beautiful as you would have bad luck with finding romance." I say smoothly, watching in delight as a sweet smile graces her ruby red lips. Though the response to that was positive, that didn't really give me any insight to her sexuality. Well, she _did_ call me hot not too long ago…. One can only hope that she meant that in a non-platonic way.

"Well, thank you; that's very sweet of you to say. I've pretty much given up on trying to form any type of romantic connections as of late. I've been super busy anyway. I teach 4 ethics classes here Monday through Friday, and a night philosophy class on Saturdays. Not to mention, the tons of classwork, homework, and papers I have to spend my time grading." Regina says with an over-exaggerated disgusted shudder. I giggle at her and open my mouth to comment on her statement, only to have her stupid phone vibrate again. She smiles at me in apology as she picks up her phone again, talking quickly into the receiver while rising up from her seat and retrieving her stack of books into her arms. As soon as she ends the call, she looks at me with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry but I must go before Kat sends out a search party for me. We'll catch up another time, perhaps?"

"Definitely."

"Great! It was so nice to see you again, Emma….or, you know, nice to know who you _really_ are. I'll see you in class on Monday. Take care." Regina says to me softly, a close-mouthed smile gracing her lips.

"You too, Regina. See you Monday." With one last smile, Regina turns on her heels and walks towards the check-out counter. I release a content sigh at the positive turn of events and watch Regina's hips sway side-to-side, her perfectly round ass looking amazing in the pair of jeans that she's currently rocking. She finally remembers me.

Hot damn.

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_**Monday**_

"Ems, have you seen my phone charger? I don't know where I put it!" Ruby yells out from the living room, her voice traveling through my open bedroom door.

"If it's not in your room or the living room, check Belle's room!" I yell back, a smirk gracing my lips as I see her rush into Belle's room, only to come back out a few seconds later with her charger in hand. She stops in front of my doorway and raises a brow at my amused smirk, silently questioning why I'm smirking in the first place. I shrug at her in response and turn my back to her, piling up my necessary textbooks and notebooks into my backpack. Once everything is packed up, I sling my backpack strap over my shoulder and turn towards the door to see Ruby still stood in place. "What's up, Rubes?" I ask curiously. She clamps her bottom lip between her teeth nervously and stares hard at the ground, careful not to make eye contact with me. I've known her long enough to know that she has some information to divulge to me, but she's too nervous to say it. After a few silent moments, she releases a sigh and looks up, her eyes locking with mine.

"Last night, Belle and I kissed." She whispers out cautiously, listening intently to the running blow drying sound coming from the bathroom. My eyes widen in shock, before the shock eventually wears off. It was only a matter of time.

"Okay? So….what's going on there?" I whisper back. She looks at me like a frightened child and releases a loud sigh.

"I don't know!" She whispers back harshly. "I just know that it felt right, and I didn't want the kiss to end. I'm starting to wonder why she and I broke up in the first place…" She says with a furrow of her brows, her lips pulled down into a thoughtful frown. I smile sweetly at her and take a step towards her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Because you two were too young and stupid to truly understand the deep connection that you share. But you guys are old enough to give it a second go, if that's what you want. I mean, you guys are best friends and have like no modesty or awkwardness between you. You guys should talk it out and see where you want to go from there. If you guys decide to date again, I will begrudgingly subject myself to being the third wheel to ensure your happiness." I tell her with a sly smirk. Ruby chuckles at that and nods her head in agreement.

"You're right. Thanks for the advice, Em. By the way, you won't be the third wheel. Belle and I would never let you feel that way again. If we do, just know it's not intentional. Besides, I predict that once this semester is over, you will be dating a hot brunette ethics professor and won't even notice me and Belle's potential relationship." Ruby says with a smirk of her own. My jaw drops at the implication and I open my mouth to refute her statement when she holds up a hand to silence me. My mouth slams shut and her smirk widens. "I saw you and Professor Mills hanging out together in the library on Saturday. Belle and I finished our assignment early, and while she was in deep conversation with Killian and Eric, I decided to go look for you to tell you that we were ready to go. When I eventually found you, I saw you two looking cozy and in deep conversation, sitting at that hidden back table, and I decided to give you guys your privacy. Don't even try to deny that you're hot for our professor, because you _so_ are. I haven't seen you look so smitten with anyone since elementary; back when you used to have a crush on your babysitter." Ruby says with a chuckle. My cheeks flush in embarrassment. I didn't think anyone besides myself and my brother knew of that crush!

Ruby seems to be able to read my thoughts because next thing I know, she's opening her mouth to speak again. "Yeah, I totally knew about that. It was so obvious! Sure, we were like 9, but I knew a crush when I saw one, and you _definitely_ had hearts in your eyes whenever you talked about your babysitter. What was her name again? Wasn't it like "_R_" something?" Ruby begins, causing my cheeks to turn as red as a tomato. Back when I was in elementary, ballet wasn't the only thing that I wanted to keep to myself….. I also wanted to keep a certain babysitter all to myself, as well. Ruby and Belle only met Regina a total of 3 times, but they knew her name, considering that I mentioned it almost every day for more than 3 years. I sincerely hope that Ruby doesn't remember Regina's name now, however, because if she does, then she's going to be able to put two and two together. '_And what will happen if she does that?' _you ask_._ A lifetime of teasing from both her and Belle, that's what!

"I'm ready you guys. Let's head out now." Belle says from my doorway, appearing out of _freaking_ nowhere, watching Ruby and I with curious eyes. Before Ruby can question me further about my former babysitter, I shoulder past her and exit my room wordlessly, leaving behind a smirking Ruby and a confused Belle.

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"Okay class, good job today. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your discussions. Next class, we will be having our first quiz, so please be prepared for that. Make sure to take the time to study. See you all on Wednesday!" Regina says to the class, dismissing us on time today, rather than 20 minutes early. I remain seated as I watch everyone pack up and head towards the exit. Ruby and Belle shoot me a small smile as they head towards the exit as well. Ruby points her finger towards the seats in the hallway as a way to let me know that's where she and Belle will be waiting. I nod at them before turning towards the front of the room, walking towards a seated Regina. When the older brunette spots me, she offers me a genuine smile.

"Hey, Emma."

"Hey, Regina."

"I was impressed with the points you brought up in our discussion today. I'm glad to see that you've been paying attention to my lecture, and not as much on my legs." She says with a smirk, causing my cheeks to tinge with pink.

"Thanks…" I say as I clear my throat awkwardly. "Anyway, I actually came up here to ask you if you wanted to have lunch with me sometime soon." I suggest unsurely. She raises a brow at me.

"Is this a date? Because I will have you know that I refuse to date my students…" My eyes bulge out of my head at that and I shake my head in the negative.

"No! I wasn't even thinking of it as a date! I was just thinking that maybe you and I could talk more, maybe get a better opportunity to catch up?"

She seems to ponder my suggestion for what seems like hours, and just when I'm about to retract my invitation, she supplies me with an answer.

"We'll see."

Well, for now, that answer is good enough for me.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I think this is probably my longest chapter yet. I really hope you all enjoy it! I'd appreciate the feedback, and maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to post another chapter within the next two days. Who knows? Lol. Enjoy! All mistakes made are mine.**

"What do you think of this dress?" Ruby asks me as she models her tenth dress of the day. For the last two hours, Ruby has been putting on, and taking off dresses, never seeming to find one that she deems worthy of her date. She's also been styling her hair a hundred different ways, whining that she couldn't find a suitable style that would make Belle go weak in the knees. I think Ruby could show up for their date in nothing but a diaper and Belle would still get weak in the knees just by the sight of her. It's been two weeks since Ruby told me that she and Belle kissed, and it wasn't until last week that they approached the subject of where they'd go from there. As you can probably tell, they decided that they were going to start over fresh and see exactly where they stand with one another. And tonight is their first _real_ date. They never went on actual dates while they were dating in high school; so this is new and unfamiliar territory for both of them. Obviously, Ruby is freaking out, and judging by the text's I've been receiving from Aurora, Belle is fairing no better. Both Ruby and Belle decided that they were going to get ready in different places, which means while Ruby is getting ready here at our apartment, Belle is getting ready at Aurora and Phillip's. I watch in amusement as Ruby plays with her hair for the thousandth time, ruffling up her bangs, while fluffing up the body of her hair. "How's my hair now?" She asks nervously. I chuckle in amusement and give her two thumbs up.

"I think your dress looks great, just like the other nine dresses you've tried on today. And your hair looks no different than the last thousand styles you've shown me. You look great, Rubes; _really_ great. Belle isn't going to be able to keep her eyes off of you. I promise." I tell her reassuringly. Ruby offers me a shy smile and nods.

"Thanks, Ems."

"No problem." I tell her with a small smile. Just when she's about to open her mouth to respond, a knock sounds at the front door. Ruby's eyes widen in shock as we both turn our heads towards my bedside clock and see that it's 7 o' clock on the dot; exactly when Belle said that she would be here to pick up Ruby.

"Oh my god, she's here! What do I do? What do I do?!" Ruby says to me in panic as she begins pacing the floor of my room. I put my open palm over my mouth to muster my giggles of amusement…. _but_ I just can't seem to keep as quiet as I had intended to. Ruby stops pacing and glares at me. I put my hands up in mock surrender and smirk playfully at her.

"Stop freaking out and go answer the damn door! I'm hundred percent positive that Belle is as nervous as you are right now. You've spent the last five minutes pacing the floor, while our poor Australian Belle is standing outside of our apartment door, probably debating on whether or not she should wait for you to open the door or use her key to rush in. Just go, Rubes. Have a good time." I tell her softly. She audibly gulps and nods her head determinedly. I watch with a proud smile as she heads outside of my bedroom and opens the front door. I hop off of my bed and peek outside of my bedroom door to see my two best friends standing in the middle of the living room, trading shy glances and soft smiles. I listen to their soft, yet somewhat awkward, small talk and giggle to myself when Belle compliments Ruby, causing the brunette to blush fiercely. I can't help but internally coo at the adorableness of Belle's shy offer of her arm to Ruby. Ruby links her arm through Belle's, and together, they head out of the apartment, locking the door behind them. I shake my head to myself amusedly and head back into my room to grab my wallet. While those two are out spoiling each other rotten, I'll go out and spoil myself rotten too. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll randomly run into Regina. Unfortunately, I've only seen her in class these last two weeks, seeing as she has yet to take me up on my "catch up" offer. Maybe she eventually will…. One can only hope.

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"Table for one, miss?" The waiter asks me as I enter our campus' local restaurant. I nod to him and he grabs a menu, making a 'follow me' gesture as he turns around and begins walking. I follow after him and he seats me at a table nearest to the window facing our campus' rec center. I immediately order my beverage and don't even bother looking through my menu, seeing as how I eat at this restaurant twice a week. When the waiter returns with my beverage, I tell him my order and hand back my menu. He writes down my order and scurries off in the direction of the kitchen. Once I'm alone again, I take my phone out of my pocket and immediately open Angry Birds, using the game as a distraction until I hear a throat clear above me. I look up from my game and my eyes lock onto familiar mocha orbs.

"Regina? Hey! What are you doing here?" I ask in surprise, a smile threatening to spread across my lips. Looks like I got lucky after all.

"Hey, well I came here to eat, which I'm assuming is why you're here as well." Regina says matter-of-factly, causing my cheeks to tinge pink in embarrassment.

"Right...duh. I so knew that. Well, um, would you like to sit and keep me company?" I ask nervously, biting my bottom lip in apprehension. I watch as a slow smile spreads across her lips, and without supplying a verbal answer, she pulls out the chair across from me and takes a seat.

"I would love to. That was actually why I headed over here. I'm taking you up on your offer to catch up. So, how's everything going, Miss Nolan?" She asks me nonchalantly, the smile still on her lips. I openly gape at her for a good two minutes before I manage to gather my bearings and offer an answer.

"Uh, um…I'm great! How have you been?" I ask lamely. She lightly laughs at me and shrugs nonchalantly.

"I'm great, Miss Nolan. So, where are your friends? Don't you usually spend your weekends with Ruby and Belle?"

"Well, yeah, but this weekend they're spending time with each other. They're on a date right now, so I figured that while they're treating each other to dinner and dessert, I could treat myself to the same thing." I tell her with a shrug. A grin spreads across her face at the mention of their date.

"They're on a date? That's so cute! I've always suspected that there was something more going on between them. Those longing glances they exchange during my class are anything but discreet." Regina says with a laugh. I laugh along with her and offer her a smile. The waiter comes back to my table when he sees a new addition, and he politely asks for Regina's order. Regina quickly tells him her beverage and meal order, and the waiter scurries of again, only to come back a few seconds later with Regina's drink. Regina politely thanks him as he walks back into the direction of the kitchen. "So, tell me Swan, why isn't someone as gorgeous as you out on a date tonight? Or any other night for that matter? Every weekend I either see you in the library, or somewhere random, like here." Regina says to me with a sweet smile. I smile bashfully at that and shrug nonchalantly.

"I guess I just haven't had any date offers as of late. Plus, it's not like I'm really interested in anyone… Or, well I _am_, but this person is definitely not interested." I babble out before I can stop it. My cheeks tinge pink at my sudden confession and I decide to avoid Regina's amused expression.

"Is that so? Well, I highly doubt this person is uninterested, Miss Nolan. From what I can see, not only are you a gorgeous young woman, but you are quite intelligent, and sweet, funny, generous. You're the whole package, my dear. Any guy _or_ _girl_, would be lucky to have you."

"Do you really think that?"

"Of course I do. Why would I lie? I'm not one to say words that I do not mean, and Miss Nolan, I mean _every_ word." She tells me with a wink. I smile shyly at the compliment, and break eye contact with the beautiful brunette sitting across from me.

"Thanks…"

"No need to thank me, Emma. I was simply telling you the truth." She says with a shrug. I look up from the table and lock eyes with her, losing my breath when I catch sight of the bright smile spread across her lips. I timidly smile back and hold her gaze for a moment longer. Eventually, our gaze is broken when our waiter returns with our meals in hand. He places our meals in front of us and tells us to enjoy before disappearing again. "Well, that certainly looks appetizing." Regina says, pointing to my double bacon cheeseburger and cheese fries. I smirk at her and pick up a cheese-smothered fry, popping the deliciously greasy and cheesy substance into my mouth.

"Mm, you jealous?" I ask with a cocked brow.

"Yes, dear. I am completely jealous of that heart attack on a plate." She says in a deadpan voice, causing a breathy laugh to escape my mouth.

"Well, at least my heart attack on a plate is much tastier than the rabbit food on yours. I mean, _seriously_, a _salad_, Regina? Really?" I ask with an incredulous laugh. She spears her leafy greens with her fork and sticks her tongue out at me playfully, before shoving the greens into her mouth. I chuckle at her childishness and decide to start devouring my beautiful burger. I bite into the greasy goodness and make obscenely over-sexualized noises with each bite I take. Regina rolls her eyes at me amusedly and continues eating her salad like the sophisticated woman she is. By the time I make it through 75% of my burger, I discontinue my sexual noises and finish the rest of it in silence.

"You haven't changed at all." Regina says with a shake of her head, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Is that a good or bad thing?" I ask curiously, picking up my fork to begin stabbing my cheese fries. Regina chuckles and allows the smile to take over her face.

"It's definitely a good thing. I mean, you definitely matured both mentally and physically, but I'm glad to see that you still have your sense of humor."

"Well, thanks." I say shyly, polishing off the rest of my cheese fries.

"Well, my rabbit food was delicious."

"Obviously not delicious enough. I didn't hear you making obscene noises." She smirks at me and shrugs.

"Well, there had to be at least one civilized adult at the table."

"Damn, you got me." I say with my hands put up in mock surrender. She giggles at my silliness, and the familiar fluttering in my chest surfaces at the sound. I smile goofily at Regina, easily getting lost in her eyes. She smiles sweetly at me, and I can't help but internally swoon. She's just so damn gorgeous.

"Here you go ladies." The waiter says, coming out of freaking nowhere and placing our checks onto the table. I reach for my check, only for it to be swiped up by Regina. I gape at her, my jaw hanging low, as she places our checks together and places her credit card with them. Before I get the chance to snatch my check back, our waiter comes back to our table, taking the checks and Regina's credit card with him.

"Regina! You didn't have to pay for my meal. I fully intended to pay for myself." I tell her with a gob smacked expression. She smiles at me and shrugs.

"Well, I wanted to, so I did. It's too late for you to do anything about it."

"But you really didn't have to..."

"I know I didn't, Emma. Just think of this as me paying you back for the two weeks that I didn't spend reconnecting with you." I continue to gape at her incredulously.

"You don't have to pay me back for having a life, Regina. It's not like I bugged you every day to hang out with me or anything." I counter. She shrugs again as our waiter comes back and hands Regina back her card. Regina rises up from her seat, and I follow suit, both of us heading out of the restaurant and out into the chilly night air. We walk towards the parking lot until we reach my yellow bug. Regina visibly grimaces at my car, and I can't help but pout at her obvious disapproval.

"_This_ is what you drive?"

"Yes. My parents got it for me as a graduation present." I tell her with a small smile.

"This is definitely a present I would have returned. This car is a deathtrap on wheels. And that shade of yellow is a total eyesore." Regina says with disgust. I cross my arms over my chest defensively, leaning closer to my car in a protective manner.

"She didn't mean it, Jody. She was only kidding." I whisper to my car. Regina raises an amused brow at me and smirks.

"You named your car Jody?"

"Yes…" I mumble out sheepishly. She releases another giggle that causes my heart to flutter for the second time tonight.

"I'm not even going to ask. Well, it's getting late, Emma, and I, unfortunately, have many ungraded test papers waiting for me on my coffee table. I guess this is where we part." Regina says, awkwardly offering out her hand for me to shake. I chuckle lowly at the gesture and grip her hand in mine, shaking it gently. Our hands stay in each other's hold for a few more seconds before we let go of each other's hands and smile at each other awkwardly. "Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Regina. And don't think I've forgotten how you unsuspectingly paid for my meal back there. That was sweet of you, but _so_ not cool."

"Well, you'll just have to make sure you pay next time." She says coyly, walking away before I get the chance to fully process her words. But when I do, I yell out to her.

"Who says there will be a next time? I thought you didn't date your students?" I ask with a quirked brow.

"There will definitely be a next time. And I never said it was a date." She yells back with a sexy wink. With that, she turns on her heels and walks towards her car, leaving me standing in the empty parking lot, gaping after her.

Yup, I finally have my answer. Regina is totally gay. And I'm pretty sure that she was flirting with me. I mean, she was, _right_? And she paid for both of our meals….isn't that what you do on a date? _Was_ this a date?! Holy shit…I think it was.

"I don't date students, my ass." I mutter under my breath as I unlock my car and get in. Looks like I have a lot of evaluating to do when I get home. With that thought in mind, I start up my car and peel out of the parking lot.


	8. Chapter 8

_**10 years ago**_

"_Knock knock." A ten year old Emma hears a familiar voice say as she sits on her bed, a copy of Alice in Wonderland opened up on her lap. Emma places her Spider-Man bookmark inside of her page, and places the book on her nightstand. Her mom and dad are going out tonight which means that the only person that could possibly be at her door is Regina. Emma buzzes in silent excitement and takes a deep breath before replying. _

"_Come in." She calls out to the person on the other side of the door. A few seconds later, her door opens and in walks Regina, clad in a yellow sundress, with her long wavy brown locks cascading over her shoulders. Emma gapes at the stunning goddess before her and feels her mouth go dry at the sight. "Whoa…" She whispers quietly to herself, though, not quietly enough. Regina giggles at the ten year olds gob smacked expression and waves a hand in front of the girl's face to catch her attention. Emma's eyes widen comically when she realizes she's been staring, and her cheeks flush bright pink, causing the brunette in front of her to chuckle. "You look beautiful, Regina! Why are you all dressed up? And why are you wearing makeup?" Emma asks as she takes a good look at Regina's face, now noticing the light blush dusted across her cheeks, the shiny lip gloss painted across her lips, and the eyeliner and mascara penciled onto her eyes and lashes. Emma doesn't think she's ever seen a more gorgeous sight than the 17 year old girl standing before her._

_Regina giggles and walks over to Emma, taking a seat beside the smaller blonde on the bed. "I just came from a date." Regina tells her with a sweet smile. Emma tilts her head to the side, eyeing Regina curiously._

"_A date? Like the kind of date my mom and dad are going on tonight?"_

_Regina nods. "Yes, kind of like that. Except, the type of date I went on is with someone I'm trying to get the opportunity to know and vice versa." _

"_Oh." Emma says with furrowed brows. "So, it was like those dates in the movies where the guy and girl on the date ask each other a million pointless questions about themselves?" Emma questioned with a raised brow, causing Regina to burst out laughing. _

_Regina nods amusedly, the laugh still escaping her mouth. "Yes. That's exactly the type of date it was." She says with an adoring smile towards the younger girl. Emma smiles back just as adoringly, and feels the butterflies begin to flap around her stomach. _

"_So, who'd you go with and was it nice? Did you get a goodnight's kiss?" _

_Regina grinned and nodded. "I went with this guy who attends Storybrooke Prep and his name is Robin. It was nice, he was nice, and the movie and dinner was nice. And yes, he kissed me. It was sweet." Regna says with awe-filled smile. Emma forces away the jealousy creeping into her gut and nods her head with a tight smile._

"_Oh, that's great!" She says with forced enthusiasm. She now wishes that she never asked these questions in the first place. Now her night is ruined. But, maybe, just maybe, it could salvaged. "So, for future reference, how would I know if I was on a date or not?" Emma asks Regina curiously, wanting more than anything to change the subject from Regina's date._

"_Oh, that's easy. The best way to know if you're on a date-in the case that neither of you have labeled it as such—is if one of you pays for everything. In my opinion, that means that said person wants it to be a date, or believes that it already is." Regina says with a shrug, causing Emma to think over the brunette's words. Regina watches the blonde's thoughtful expression with a small smile and pokes the girl in the cheek. "Don't think so hard, Swan. Plus, you're too young to be thinking about dating! You're not allowed to date until you're twenty. Until then, why don't you and I go into the living room and watch some Disney movies? What do you say?" Emma smiles brightly at Regina and wordlessly sprints out of the room, leaving behind a chuckling Regina._

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***knock knock***

"Come in." I say groggily from my position on my bed. I rub my eyes and release a loud yawn as Ruby and Belle make their way into my room, both women now sitting on the edge of my bed with eager smiles on their faces. I eye them curiously when I see that they're still clad in their date attire. I roll over onto my side and eye my bedside clock to see that it's only midnight. I must have fallen asleep right after I reached home or something. Greasy junk food can do that to a girl. I clear my throat loudly and force myself to sit up, my back now resting lazily against the headboard. "How was your date?" I ask. I didn't think it was possible for their smiles to get any bigger, but lo and behold, they've proved me wrong. I'm kind of scared that their faces will split in half with how hard they're smiling. "That good, huh?"

"It was excellent! We went to see _Beauty and the Beast_ at the community theater, and then afterwards, we went to _Martenelli's_ for dinner. Oh! And then after _that_, we went to the local playground and played on the jungle gym." Ruby babbles out excitedly, looking very much like a kid on Christmas morning. I can't help but smile widely at she and Belle's animated expressions.

"It was the best date ever! Simply perfect!" Belle says in a dreamy voice, eyeing Ruby with an equally dreamy smile. Ruby smiles softly at Belle's expression and places a sweet kiss on the redhead's cheek. I giggle at their cuteness and roll my eyes in faux exasperation.

"You guys are killing me with cuteness, here." I say in a deadpan voice, causing them to giggle with a simultaneous eye roll. How do they always roll their eyes at the same time?

"Oh, whatever. You love it!" Ruby says as she sticks her tongue out at me. I stick mine back out at her and she giggles. She is definitely on a great date high right now. That's for damn sure.

"I'll be right back you guys, I need to go change." Belle says after a moment, rising up from my bed and strutting out of my room. Ruby smiles after her, a content sigh escaping her mouth. I nudge Ruby's hip with my foot and her eyes snap up to meet mine with a bashful smile.

"I think I'm in love, Em." Ruby says dreamily, I snort in amusement at that and nod my head in agreement. I could have told her that years ago. Better her figure this out late than never, I suppose. After a few more moments of Ruby grinning goofily to herself, she turns to me with an expectant smile. "So, what did you do tonight?" She asks. I wrack my brain for what did earlier tonight, and then it comes back to me. I had dinner with Regina. A dinner that she paid for. I had an unofficial date with my professor…the same professor who claims not to date their students. Maybe I'm an exception because she and I already know each other on a semi-personal level? Hmm. Should I tell Ruby of my earlier encounter with the professor? Nah.

"I went out to Lane's and ate dinner there." I tell her simply. She eyes me suspiciously for a moment, obviously sensing that I'm hiding something. I hate how intuitive Ruby is sometimes.

"By yourself?"

"Yes, by myself. I was hungry and had nothing better to do." I tell her with a shrug. She eyes me skeptically and shrugs.

"Okay, well I'm heading to bed. Talk to you in the morning, Ems." She says with a small smile, rising up from the bed and exiting my room, closing the door behind her. Once the door is closed I hear "Goodnight, Emma! "being shouted by Belle. I chuckle to myself and flop back down onto my side. I make myself comfortable again and immediately fall back asleep, dreaming of my non-date with Regina.

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_Monday Morning—after class_

"Hey, professor." I say as I sidle up to Regina after class, right after the last of the students scurry out. Regina sends me a small smile as she packs up her things and places it into her briefcase.

"Emma." She says with a nod of acknowledgement, a teasing smirk on her lips as she sees the pout form on my lips at her curt tone. "Hello Swan, how are you doing and how was the rest of your weekend?" She asks as soon as she closes her briefcase, throwing the strap of the bag over shoulder.

"It was pretty uneventful. I just stayed at my apartment, did some homework, and then watched Belle and Ruby make lovey-dovey eyes at one another. Same old, same old. What about you? How did the rest of your weekend go?" I ask. She smiles at me and gestures for me to follow her out of the classroom. I nod and follow suit.

"Well, like I told you on Saturday night, I had many papers and quizzes to grade. So, honestly, that's all I did. Aside from grading, I slept, ate, showered, and drank….a lot." Regina says in droll tone, causing a giggle to escape my throat.

"Sounds wild." I offer with a smirk. She smirks back and nods.

"You have no idea. I never knew that I was capable of being such a party animal." Regina says with a playful wiggle of her eyebrows. An unattractive snort escapes my nose and I quickly cover my face with the palm of my hand.

"That was embarrassing." I say with pink cheeks. She smiles softly at me and shakes her head in the negative.

"I found that to be quite cute. But maybe that's because I find _you_ to be cute." I gape at her, almost disbelievingly, causing her own cheeks to flush in embarrassment.

"Are you blushing, Professor?" I ask teasingly. She shakes her head in denial and turns her face away from me. I chuckle at the fact that Regina is actually capable of blushing. Cool, suave, mature, and super sexy Regina has blushed. This is a momentous occasion that should be recorded in history books. She clears her throat uncomfortably and looks around the empty hallway, seeing absolutely no one in sight. With that being the case, Regina turns to face me, stopping in the middle of the empty hallway. I stop walking as well, and turn so that so she and I are now face-to-face.

"So, I had fun Saturday." She starts off with a small smile.

"I did too." I tell her honestly.

"I'm glad. So, I just wanted to clear a few things up with you. What we did on Saturday was not a date; it was just two old friends catching up. That's all. I meant what I said about not dating my students." Regina says seriously. I purse my lips and nod in understanding.

"Okay. Well, Professor, I never said I wanted it to be a date, therefore I didn't take it as such." I lie easily. "Since we've cleared up that it wasn't a date, would you like to have dinner with me again this weekend? You know, as old friends catching up some more?" I ask cheekily. She looks lost in thought for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Yes, as friends. Although, I should warn you, I try not to befriend my students either." She says with a nonchalant shrug and a chuckle.

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" I ask with a raised brow. She nods.

"Yep, way too late. But I shall use the excuse of knowing you way back when, so we're good. So about dinner this weekend….same place, same time?"

"Yeah, and we can also go on Saturday….if you're free that is." I offer with a nonchalant shrug of my own, though I'm completely jumping with joy on the inside.

"I am definitely free, Miss Nolan. So, it's settled. Well, it's about that time I make it across campus. I have a class to teach in 15 minutes and I don't want to be late. I'll see you on Wednesday, and also on Saturday. By the way, don't forget to bring your wallet. You'll be paying for our _non_-date." She says with a wink before turning on her heels and exiting the building.

"It is so a date." I whisper to myself.

"You've got some explaining to do." I hear a voice say behind me. I jump in fright at the sudden voice and turn around to see none other than Ruby and Belle. Ruby with a smug and knowing smirk on her face, and Belle with an identical expression on hers.

"Hey guys…."


	9. Chapter 9

_**9 years ago…**_

_Emma doesn't know what's happening to her; she doesn't understand what she's feeling. The butterflies in her stomach, the palpitations in her chest, and the dryness of her mouth all occur when she's around a certain someone. A certain brunette someone. A certain 18 year old someone. A certain babysitter of hers, to be exact. For the last three years, she's been getting these feelings only when she's around Regina, and no one else. Ruby doesn't give her these feelings, and neither does Belle. No other guy or girl in her class gives her these feelings either, and she just doesn't understand what any of this means. She knows for sure that she has a crush on Regina, but from what she's heard from her friends, a crush is nowhere near as intense as this. Why is everything so confusing? Why are matters of the heart so…complex?_

"_Hey, kid. What's got you so lost in thought?" August says as he lowers himself onto the front steps of the back porch, now sitting beside his younger sister. Emma glances up at her brother and offers him a weak smile, followed by a nonchalant shrug. He eyes his sister for a few silent moments and can easily see the internal battle going through her mind. He nudges his sister's shoulder with his, causing her to look up at him with wide green eyes. "C'mon Em, I'm your big brother and you know I'm here for you. You can tell me anything. Talk to me." He says softly, locking eyes with his little sister. He watches carefully as she bites her bottom lip nervously, and lowers her eyes to the ground. _

"_Have you ever gotten butterflies in your stomach, or a fast heartbeat and dryness in your mouth when you're around someone you like? Like, have you ever thought about the same person every day and night, right before you go to sleep and as soon as you wake up?" Emma asks distractedly, still looking at the ground intently, not noticing the bewildered expression that stretches across her brother's features. _

"_Who do you feel this way about, Em? Is it Killian or Neal?" He asks her. Emma shakes her head in the negative, causing August's brows to furrow. "Dean? Alex? Samuel?" Emma shakes her head again and releases a frustrated sigh. She looks up from the ground and stares, timidly, into her brother's eyes, a nervous expression marring her features._

"_It's not a boy…" She whispers out. August stares at Emma blankly for a moment until her words finally register in his head. His eyes widen in surprise at the news, but he does his best to mask it and put on a calm expression, not wanting to make his sister think that he disapproves. Because honestly? He doesn't. He loves his sister and will always stand behind her. No matter what. _

"_Oh. Well, is it Ruby or Belle? I mean, they're the only girls you hang out with other than your babysitter." Emma stays silent and shrugs her shoulders again._

"_I can't tell you who it is just yet. I'm not ready. But August….what does all of this mean? What is it that I'm feeling? I don't understand." She says to him helplessly, breaking her brother's heart at her helpless tone. _

"_There's not much for you to understand, Ems. You're in love." He says with a teasing smile. Emma's eyes widen in shock and she focuses her attention back to the ground. _

_Love?_

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"Explain." Ruby says sternly, though the smile on her face is making it hard for me to take her seriously. I let out a reluctant sigh and stare up at the smug expressions on my two best friend's faces. Why am I friends with these losers again?

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, cut the crap Emma. We heard your entire conversation with Professor Mills. Or should I say _Regina_?" Ruby says with a wicked smirk. I gulp audibly and look away from her knowing expression, concentrating all of my attention on the fidgeting hands resting in my lap. "You can talk to us, Em. You know that. Neither Belle, nor I, are here to judge, we just want to know what's going on between you and the professor. Are you guys dating? Fuck buddies? Friends? You can tell us." Ruby says softly, the smugness gone from her features. I let out another sigh and feel myself sink further into the living room couch. (Ruby and Belle dragged me out of the building and practically shoved me onto the nearest campus shuttle after they eavesdropped on Regina and I's conversation, hence how we're already back at our apartment and having this conversation in the living room.) When they want you to tell them something, they're pretty eager to get you alone so you spill everything. And when I say "they", I really just mean Ruby. Sure, Belle likes to hear juicy gossip as much as the next college-aged woman, but she's not one to actively seek it. That's Ruby's specialty.

"Regina and I are just friends, Ruby….just…old friends. We had dinner together on Saturday while you and Belle were on your date. We didn't plan it or anything, we kind of just ended up being in the same place at the same time." I tell them with a shrug, not even noticing my slip-up at mentioning that Regina and I are _old_ _friends_. Ruby is actually the oldest friend I have, seeing as we've known each other since we were in diapers and have been practically raised together.

"Old friends, huh? You do realize that you and I were practically raised together, right? I've met practically every person you've ever known, so who is Regina? Who is she to you?" Ruby asks with a raised brow. I shrink under her penetrating gaze, not wanting to answer her. I don't feel like being teased today…well, not any more than usual anyway. "Em, where do you know Regina from?" Ruby asks again, though this time in a softer tone. I look up at her briefly before bringing my gaze back down to my fidgeting hands.

"She's just an old friend, Rubes. Can we just drop the subject now?" I ask pleadingly, looking up at Ruby with puppy dog eyes and a hopeful pout. Ruby looks away from me, as does Belle, who has been watching our exchange in silence. I know that both Belle and Ruby, as well as my brother and my parents, have a hard time resisting my kicked puppy expression. I've been perfecting this look since I was three, and so far, it's come in handy.

"Regina Mills…" I hear Belle mutter under her breath, her facial expression becoming one of extreme concentration. I bite my lip nervously and watch in trepidation as Belle's eyes light up with recognition. Oh god, please tell me she didn't figure out Regina's true identity already. "Isn't Regina from Storybrooke? I remember there being a Regina Mills who was the daughter of the mayor, Cora Mills." Belle wonders aloud. Ruby raises a brow at that tidbit of information, eyeing me suspiciously while I keep my eyes on my, still, fidgeting hands. I'm a nervous wreck. I think I may actually be sweating right now.

"Wasn't Regina that young hot brunette who was a few years older than us? I remember she had long flowing brown locks and dark expressive eyes, and ruby red li—HOLY SHIT! Regina was your babysitter!" Ruby exclaims in both surprise and delight. I take a pillow off of the couch and attempt to smother myself with it right then and there, only to have Ruby snatch the pillow away from my face. "Our professor was your former babysitter?! The same babysitter that you were totally head over heels in love with?!" Ruby states, more than asks, excitedly jumping up and down giddily. I groan in embarrassment and snatch another pillow to cover my blazing face with, only to have Belle snatch it away from me this time. I'm pretty sure I'm blushing up until the point that my face is glowing. "Emma, how can you keep this from us?!"

"Yeah, Em!" Belle exclaims as excitedly as Ruby. Great, looks like Belle has decided to become verbal.

"Why would I? So you guys could tease me about it and bring it up every chance you get?" I question with a scoff, causing Belle and Ruby to chuckle.

"Duh! We're your best friends, Ems. It's in our job description to tease you about your crushes, though I'm sure what you feel for Regina is a lot more than just a simple crush. You were so smitten with her in elementary, I can only imagine how strongly you feel about her now. And oh my gosh! You two have a date this Saturday…and you totally had a date this previous Saturday! I'm so happy for you!" Ruby squeals out, jumping into my lap, wrapping her arms around me tightly in a congratulatory hug.

"Can't breathe, Rubes." I choke out. She quickly retracts her arms from around my torso, but remains sitting on my lap. Belle moves to my other side and offers me a bright smile. I attempt to smile back, but I'm sure my smile looks more like a grimace at this point.

"So…tell us _everything_!"

And so I do. Not like I had much of a choice anyway. After I finish telling my two losers of all of my encounters with Regina thus far, they're both smiling so brightly that I think I've gone temporarily blind. Their smiles can seriously rival the suns at this point. It's disconcerting.

"She so wants you, Ems." Ruby says.

"I concur. Sounds like you're not the only one with romantic feelings. Also, what you guys did on Saturday was so a date. Plus, she paid." Belle says with a nod.

"Oh, and your little hang out at the library the other week? Totally a study date no matter how either of you put it. You guys are practically already dating." Ruby adds.

"Oh and this Saturday? Totally a date!" Belle squeals out excitedly.

"Looks like you're finally getting somewhere with you childhood love, after all." Ruby says with a smile.

Without meaning to, I return that smile tenfold.

I like the sound of that.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

_Wednesday—After Class_

"Miss Nolan, a word?" Regina says to me with the crook of her finger as the last of the students filter out of the classroom. I walk over to her tentatively, biting my lip nervously.

"Yes, Regina?"

"About Saturday…" She starts, only to have me cut her off.

"I know, I know. It's not a date." I say in a deadpan voice. She raises a brow at me, a smirk gracing her lips. But then shakes her head dismissively.

"I'm glad that you're aware of that, but actually, I wanted to talk about the dinner in general. You see…" She doesn't get to finish that sentence either, because before I know what's happening, I'm cutting her off again.

"You want to cancel, don't you? I know that by some professor's standards, having dinner with one your students may be seen as inappropriate but—

"Emma! Stop jumping to conclusions and let me finish, okay?" She suggests with a chuckle. I nod dumbly at her, and she smiles sweetly at me.

"I was trying to suggest that you and I have dinner at _Marco's i_nstead of _Lane's_. As much as I love _Lane's_, _Marco's_ is cheaper and has better food, also, it helps that it's off campus and away from prying eyes. Not that you and I would be participating in misconduct of any kind, but you know what I mean. It would be nice to just to converse with one another without one of my students, or colleagues, there to eavesdrop. So, does that sound like something you would want to do instead? I mean, if you still want to go to _Lane's_ so that you can eat your heart attack on a plate, then I'm totally fine with that too, but-

"Regina! That sounds perfect. We'll meet at _Marco's_ instead. Same time?" I ask with a wide smile. She was totally rambling out of nerves. I make Regina as nervous as she makes me. Her cheeks are practically the color of tomatoes right now, and it has nothing to do with the make-up on her face.

"Yeah, same time." She says shyly.

"Great. I can't wait." I tell her truthfully. She smiles and nods in agreement.

"Me either."

"So, see you in class on Friday."

"Right. See you, Emma." She says with another nod. I chuckle at her unexpected shyness and nod back before exiting the classroom.

Regina wants to move our dinner to a more private place; she blushed when she suggested it, and she actually seemed nervous. If I wasn't already convinced of this being a date before, then I am definitely of it convinced now. I have a date with Regina Mills….whether she wants to label it as such or not.

1-Nolan, 0-Mills.

I've got a date this weekend. And when the time comes, I'm going to make sure she knows it.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: All mistakes made are mine. Hope you enjoy the chapter! This chapter only has part of the date. Much more to come next chapter :D**

"Hey Ems, are you ready for your big date with Regina?" Ruby says from my doorway, noticing my anxiety as I tear through my wardrobe, looking for something suitable to wear for tonight. So far, I've come up pretty much empty. Ruby sees my state of distress and walks further into my room, taking a seat at the edge of my bed. "Need help finding something to wear?" She asks with an amused smile. I narrow my eyes at her slightly, before looking away completely and nodding my head silently. I don't have to look at her to know that she's practically beaming. I can _literally_ feel her smile from across the room. Ruby walks up beside me at the entrance of my closet and eyes my wardrobe with a _critical fashion eye_, or so she likes to call it. After a few moments of her eyeing my clothing, a satisfied smile stretches across her lips. She grabs a few items out of my closet and places them carefully on my bed. "Pick one of these outfits and you'll be good to go." She says with a small smile.

I eye her selections and see that she's chosen two solid-colored button down tops-one light blue, and one light green—and two pairs of jeans—one dark blue, and one black, along with two of my nicest black jackets. I eye the articles of clothing for a few moments in silent skepticism, before turning to face my best friend. "Shouldn't I dress a little fancier? I mean, I want this to be a date, and well, wouldn't these clothes be considered too casual for a date or something?" I ask in puzzlement, trapping my bottom lip between my teeth. Ruby rolls her eyes at me playfully and places a reassuring hand on my shoulder, causing me to look at her face, and into her blue eyes.

"You're overthinking things. Despite the fact that you and Regina are, _oh-so-obviously_, going out on a date tonight, whether she admits to it or not, because let's face it: home girl has a thing for you and wants it to be a date just as bad as you do—it's still a casual outing. Also, it's February, and still fucking freezing out there. You're not just dressing to be cute; you're also dressing for comfort and warmth. I mean, you guys are going to a casual food joint. I think it would be safe for you to dress accordingly." Ruby says with a shrug. I guess that makes sense.

"Well, okay. Thanks for the help, Rubes." I tell her sincerely. She smiles an open-mouthed smile at me, and without warning, pulls me into a bear hug. I squeak in surprise as her strong arms engulf me into her tight embrace, squeezing me so tightly that I barely have room to breathe. "Uh, Rubes? I can't breathe." I squeak out to her. She quickly pulls back and offers me an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry! I just—I'm really happy for you, Ems. I mean, I know that what you and Regina got going on isn't a sure thing as of yet, seeing as how you two are still getting to know each other….but I have a really good feeling about you two. I feel like she may be the one for you." Ruby says honestly, causing my eyes to widen in surprise.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, she was your babysitter for three years, and the first and only girl you have ever actually liked. You didn't have serious girlfriends throughout high school, and Belle and I already knew it was because you were still hung up on Regina, whether you admitted it to us or not; we just knew. And then after 9 years apart, you two find one another again in the most unexpected of ways, in the most unexpected of places, and immediately form a trusting friendship. Look, I've asked around about Regina, and from what I've heard, she doesn't befriend people as easily as she's befriended you. And that goes for both students _and_ colleagues. I believe that there is a reason you two are in each other's lives again, so please, don't screw this up!" Ruby says seriously.

"Why do you think that I'll be the one to screw it up?! And you've been spending way too much time with Belle if you think Regina is _the one_." I say.

"Oh please, as if you weren't thinking the same thing! And it's because you always screw up your chances for romance. Do you not remember Keegan, and Sarah, and Elizabeth, and Elsa? All of these girls wanted you and genuinely liked you, but instead of giving them a proper chance, you found whatever flaw you could in them, and didn't even attempt to pursue a relationship with them." Ruby points out. I gape at her, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"That is so not true! I gave them chances!" I shoot back.

"Oh really? So what was wrong with Keegan exactly?"

"Her hair was too blonde and…and she talked with her mouth full."

"_You_ talk with your mouth full! _And_ you're a blonde! What about Sarah?"

"She talked too much…"

"And Elizabeth?"

"Well…nothing really…but—

"And Elsa?"

"Well, she—

"Let's face it, Em. There was nothing wrong with any of those girls. The only problem you had with them was the fact that they weren't a certain older, brunette. You've had it bad for Regina for like, _fucking ever_. Please, try not to find fault with Regina when she's all you have wanted for the last 12 years, okay?" Ruby says to me sternly. I pout at the fact that she thinks I would ever intentionally screw up my chances with the only woman I've ever wanted. I so wouldn't do that.

"I would never do that, Rubes. I really like Regina. I would never screw up my chances with her." I tell her seriously. She smiles at that and nods in acceptance of my answer.

"Good. Well, you have like 4 hours to kill until your date. Why don't we go join Belle in the living room and watch trashy reality television?" I smile at her suggestion and wordlessly follow her out into the living room. Might as well calm my pre-date jitters by watching grown women yell about who stole the other's man.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"You can do this, Emma. This is only a causal hangout. A hangout that I want to be considered a date. A date with the most beautiful woman I have ever met. A beautiful woman who I am going to do my best to impress tonight to show that I am dating material. I can do this. You can do this, Emma!" I tell the reflection in my rearview mirror. I am currently sitting in the parking lot of _Marco's_, doing my best to calm my nerves; as well as my racing heart. I look back into my rearview mirror and run my fingers through my hair. Still not fully satisfied with my appearance, I reapply some lips gloss and pucker my lips at my reflection. I must be really nervous because I never usually do stuff like that.

When I deem my appearance acceptable, I take a deep breath and push open my car door. I shiver a little as the cool air blows against my thinly clothed frame. I should've worn a thicker jacket. I take another deep breath and walk towards the restaurant entrance. Once inside, I am immediately greeted by a grinning hostess, and before I get the chance to speak to her, I see Regina waving me over from a booth on the other side of the room.

"I'm actually meeting someone here, and she's sitting right over there." I say to the hostess, pointing to Regina. The hostess nods and signals for me to walk over to the table. I smile at her in thanks and I make my way over to Regina. The first thing I notice as I get to the table is the fact that Regina is wearing a plain black V-neck, covered by a blue jeans jacket…and jeans! She's wearing actual jeans! This is only like the second time I've ever seen her in jeans. My eyes linger on her clothed legs for a few silent moments, taking in the way the material hugs her curves in all the right places. When she catches my leering, she clears her throat to catch my attention and I immediately flush, flashing her an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that." I mumble out, taking my seat across from her.

"That's quite alright, dear. I'm assuming my lack of pencil skirt or slacks has thrown you off a bit?" She asks with a knowing smirk. I smile sheepishly and nod. She chuckles at that and shakes her head in amusement. "Are you disappointed in the fact that you can't stare at my bare legs tonight?" She asks teasingly.

I flush at that and shrug. "Your legs manage to look appealing either way." I mutter out truthfully. Her eyes widen a little at my bold answer, and a blush takes over her cheeks. "Are you blushing, Miss Mills?" I ask her with a smug smirk. She lets out a "pfft" and shakes her head in the negative, completely avoiding my gaze. I release a giggle just as a waiter approaches our table.

"Hello ladies, my name is Allen and I will be your server for the day. First off, what would you ladies like to drink?" He asks in a chirpy tone. Regina and I exchange amused glances before reciting our beverage order to him. He smiles brightly at us and walks away, only to return a minute later with our drinks. "Are you both ready to order, or do you need a little more time?" He asks patiently. We tell him our orders and hand back our menus. He smiles widely at us again as he collects our menus, and heads off in the direction of the kitchen.

"He seems very…pleasant" Regina trails off with a giggle.

"Yeah." I say with a smirk. "So….do you come here often?" I ask lamely, internally smacking myself for my lame attempt at small talk. She giggles again and nods.

"Yes. I come here with my friend Kathryn almost every other week. This place serves the same things as _Lane's_, but it's cheaper and less greasy." Regina says with a shrug.

"Oh…" I say lamely. Why is trying to find small talk suddenly so difficult?

"Emma, just talk to me like you normally do after class, or when you randomly run into me around campus. I assure you, I do not bite." She says with a reassuring smile. The nerves leave me immediately and I nod. "Good. So, how are things going with Miss Lucas and Miss French? Are they still being undeniably cute around you?" I let out a small laugh and nod.

"Ugh. They're being the _cutest_. It's exhausting to look at them." I tell her in a playful tone.

"I understand your pain. When Kathryn met her fiancée, Garrett, they would constantly make lovey-dovey eyes at one another. Also, I lived with Kathryn up until last year, so imagine how scarred I was when I finally moved out and got my own place. Those two left me with enough unpleasant memories to last a lifetime." Regina says with a playful shudder of disgust, causing me to laugh out loud.

"Gosh, thanks for that. Now, I'm really terrified of what's to come later down the road with their relationship." I tell her with a grimace. She laughs at me and smiles.

"No problem, dear. The best way to not be bothered by your friends' relationship is by getting into a relationship of your own. When you are distracted by someone else, it becomes easier to be distracted from your friends' lovey-dovey eyes and irritating PDA. Or at least, that's what Kathryn told me."

"So, did you ever act on her suggestion?"

"Somewhat. I didn't get a new significant other or anything, but I definitely did find a person or two to…_distract_ me." Regina says with a suggestive tone. My eyes widen and I gape at her.

"You mean….?" I ask quietly.

"Yes, Emma. I mean a one-night stand here and there. Nothing too serious." She tells me with a shrug. I'm still gaping at her and she chuckles. "Let me guess, I don't seem like the type?" She asks knowingly. My cheeks redden as I nod. "Well, I'm really not, but I'm a woman with needs too. Plus, it only happened like thrice at most." She says with a nonchalant shrug. I snap my mouth shut, finally, and nod again.

"Well, that's cool." I say lamely. She brings her glass to her lips to hide her amused smirk, but I still see it. She's being so open and cool, and I'm here, being super nervous and un-cool. This is so not how I thought tonight was going to go. I decide to follow her lead and take a sip from my own glass, enjoying the lemon-lime fizz sliding down my throat. As I put the glass back on the table, a thought suddenly occurs to me. "Can I ask you a personal question?" I ask her. She raises a brow at me.

"I just told of you I've engaged in one-night stands, and you're asking me if you're allowed to ask me something personal?" She says with a smirk. My cheeks tinge pink in embarrassment and she releases a low, sultry laugh. "Yes, Emma, you may ask me a personal question."

"Um…are you….bisexual…or lesbian….or straight?" I ask timidly. She stares at me silently for a few moments before she opens her mouth to speak. Just then, our waiter returns with our food, gently placing the plates in front of us with a large smile. Regina and I thank him politely as he excuses himself to help some other patrons. My mouth immediately begins to water as I stare down at my shrimp pasta. Forgetting momentarily about my question, I unwrap my utensils from my napkin and twirl the noodles around my fork. As soon as I take my first bite of my dinner, I moan in appreciation. "So good." I moan out. As I look up, I see Regina watching me in amusement as she, daintily, takes a bite of her brown rice. She hums in satisfaction and continues eating her dinner.

Once we're halfway through our meals, Regina speaks up. "I'm a lesbian. It took me until my junior of college to realize it, but once I did, I accepted it and embraced it." She tells me with a small smile. I smile back and spear a shrimp with my fork, popping the little delicious sucker into my mouth. "What about you?" She asks me as she takes another bite of her dinner.

I take a sip from my glass, and place it back on the table before answering. "Oh, well I'm pretty much certain that I'm a lesbian. I've known since elementary." I tell her honestly. She raises a curious brow at my answer and puts down her fork to give me her undivided attention.

"Really? That young?" She asks in surprise. I nod hesitantly. "What made you realize that at such a young age?" she asks. Do I lie to her or tell her the truth?

"Well…I had a crush on a girl; a _huge_ crush actually. I mean, it wasn't until I was around 11 that I finally understood some of what I was feeling, but all of my feelings began when I was 8." I tell her honestly.

"Wow. Who did you have these feelings for? If I can remember correctly, the only girls you ever talked to me about were Ruby and Belle. Was it someone in one of your classes? Maybe from ballet or karate, perhaps?" She asks me with furrowed brows. I shake my head in the negative and wait to see if she'll piece it together. We sit in silence for a few more minutes, occasionally taking a few bites of our forgotten food. When we officially clear our plates, she looks back at me, her head tilted to the side. Studying me. "Do I know _of_ her?" She asks. I let out a nervous chuckle and nod. "Yeah, I've got nothing. Who was it?" She asks me. Might as well tell her, right? This was nine years ago; I don't expect her to get weirded out over it. At least, I hope she won't be. Only one way to find out.

"She was my babysitter."

**A/N: To be continued! **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: All mistakes made are mine. This is probably my longest chapter yet, and it's filled with nothing but SwanQueen. Also, look how fast I updated :P Hope you enjoy!**

_**Previously…**_

"_Wow. Who did you have these feelings for? If I can remember correctly, the only girls you ever talked to me about were Ruby and Belle. Was it someone in one of your classes? Maybe from ballet or karate, perhaps?" She asks me with furrowed brows. I shake my head in the negative and wait to see if she'll piece it together. We sit in silence for a few more minutes, occasionally taking a few bites of our forgotten food. When we officially clear our plates, she looks back at me, her head tilted to the side. Studying me. "Do I know of her?" She asks. I let out a nervous chuckle and nod. "Yeah, I've got nothing. Who was it?" She asks me. Might as well tell her, right? This was nine years ago; I don't expect her to get weirded out over it. At least, I hope she won't be. Only one way to find out._

"_She was my babysitter."_

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"You had feelings for your babysitter?" Regina asks slowly, her eyes wide. I gulp audibly; nodding slowly. "You had feelings for Granny Lucas!?" Regina asks in shock. I begin to sputter out nonsense, attempting to deny the claim, before I take in the sight of her shaking shoulders and scrunched up face. It takes me a moment to realize that she's trying not to laugh, and then it occurs to me that she was only teasing me. I roll my eyes at myself and allow my tense posture to relax.

"You're mean." I say with a small pout. She laughs, a wide grin spreading across her lips.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. So you had feelings for me?" She says with a teasing smile. I nod shyly and look down at my empty plate. "That's so sweet! But this isn't news to me. Little Emma wasn't exactly discreet about her crush on me. Neither is older Emma." She says with a wink. My jaw drops at this new information and my eyes widen in surprise. I thought little me was super discreet! But then again, if little me was as discreet as I thought she was, then how the hell did Ruby and Belle figure out my crush on Regina too? Little me obviously wasn't as subtle as I thought she was…and I guess older me is no better.

Well, shit.

"Oh." I utter out in embarrassment. Regina smiles at me, and just when she's about to open her mouth to speak again, our waiter returns to collect our empty plates. Before either of us can get another word out, he returns to us with that bright smile still plastered on his face. Doesn't he ever get tired of smiling?

"Hello again, ladies. Would you two like to see the dessert menu, or would you like the check?" He asks sweetly. I look at Regina and she just shrugs. I'm not quite ready to end this dinner yet, so I ask him for a dessert menu. He nods at that, and leaves, returning a few moments later with the dessert menu in hand. Once he's out of sight again, my eyes scan the menu before, briefly, glancing up at Regina.

"Are you craving any sweets?" I ask her with a nervous chuckle, hiding my face behind the menu. Regina chuckles back and puts her hand on top of the menu, gently lowering it to the table. I look up at her shyly, my bottom lip trapped between my teeth.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Swan. Like I said, I knew of your crush all along, and obviously, I don't have a problem with it. I thought it was extremely adorable, to be honest." Regina says earnestly. I stare at her for a few long moments, trying to detect if she's lying. But she's not.

"Okay…so what do you think of my crush now?" I ask cautiously.

"Well, I'm here on a non-date with you, aren't I?" She says with a wink. My mouth drops open at that. Seriously, my mouth has dropped open one too many times tonight. That is so not attractive.

'Oh." I say again. She giggles at my lack of speech, and grabs the dessert menu off of the table, opening it to skim through the selections.

"Would you like to split a slice of Oreo cheesecake with me?" She asks sweetly. I offer her a small smile and nod wordlessly. She smirks at me and flags down our passing waiter. When he reaches the table, she hands him back the menu and orders our dessert. Once he's out of sight again, Regina looks to me and reaches her hand across the table, placing her soft hand on top of my fidgeting one. "Relax, Emma. I don't care if you have feelings for me. It doesn't bother me in the slightest." She tells me.

"Okay. So…how exactly do _you_ feel about _me_?" I ask curiously. Regina flushes under my gaze.

"I-I don't know. I mean, I used to babysit you and now I'm your professor. It's a little odd, if I'm being honest. But I feel a connection with you that I can't exactly explain. The first time you stayed after class to talk to me over a month ago, I just sort of knew that we'd end up talking again, and I looked forward to it. I don't know what it is about you, Emma, but you make me feel…._light_."

"Light?"

"Yes. Light. I don't know any other word to describe it. Look, for now, let's just focus on getting to know each other again. That was the whole point of this non-date, was it not?" Regina asks with a raised brow. I smile at that and nod. Our waiter returns with our dessert and our check. Regina pushes our plate to the middle of the table and gestures for me to begin digging in. I grab my nearby spoon and watch as she does the same. I immediately begin working on one side of the dessert, as she begins working on the other.

"Oh my god, this is so good." I moan out.

"I know." She moans back, causing my cheeks to flush. That was probably the sexiest noise I have ever heard in my 20 years of life. She moans again as she takes another bite of her cheesecake. The blush on my face travels to the tips of my ears at the sound. So. Sexy. Once we're done with our meal, I pick up the check and take out the money from my wallet. I place the money, plus the tip, with the check, and together we rise up from our seats and walk to the front. When I spot our waiter talking with the hostess, I hand him the money and the check and tell him to keep the change. He beams brightly at me and exclaims his thanks. Regina and I chuckle good-naturedly at him and exit the restaurant. As we step outside, we are met by the cold breeze of the night air. I shiver a little and cross my arms over my chest to generate a little more warmth. Regina seems to notice this, and before I can question it, she takes off her jeans jacket and puts it over my shoulders.

"Hey, you don't have to do that. Won't you be cold?" I ask softly. She smirks at me and shakes her head.

"I'm half Latina, Emma. We're naturally warm-blooded." She says with a playful wink. I giggle at that and nod my head in thanks, pulling the jeans jacket tighter around my shoulders. "So, where to now?"

"There's a park just up the street. It's like a five minute walk from here. You up for it?" I ask hopefully, not wanting our night to end just yet. To my satisfaction, she grins and leads the way.

"Hey, Swan?"

"Yeah?"

"Is your favorite color still red?"

"Yes. Is yours still purple?" I ask.

"Yes, it is. What's your favorite movie?" She asks. I raise a brow at her questioningly. As we step into the park playground, she releases a mock exasperated sigh. "Have you never heard of the game 20 questions? From what I've heard, this game is great for people who are trying to get to know one another. A great icebreaker, so to speak." Regina suggests.

"My favorite movies consists of the entire _Fast and Furious_ franchise. I love them all." I tell her honestly. She scrunches up her nose at my answer and tilts her head to the side.

"Is it your secret dream to participate in illegal street races? If so, you're going to have to trade in your eyesore of a bug for a car more suitable for racing. Also, it wouldn't hurt for you to get a car more pleasant to look at. I'm sure anyone who's had the displeasure of seeing your car has gone temporarily blind." She says in a mock serious tone. I gasp in offense, placing my hand over my chest in mock hurt.

"How dare you insult Jody like that?! What did she ever do to you?"

"She exists. That's enough reason to send her to the junkyard." I genuinely gasp at that. That was just mean.

"I'm going to ignore that! What do you like to do in your free time?" I ask instead, trying to internally ice the sting she left in my heart. How dare she attack Jody like that?

"Don't be mad because what I'm saying is true, Swan." She says with a teasing smile. I roll my eyes at her and sit on a nearby swing. She joins me on the neighboring swing, occasionally kicking her feet against the sandy ground to move herself back and forth. "In my free time, I tend to go out dancing with my friends. If I'm not doing that, I'm probably at home playing on my baby grand while drinking a glass of apple cider." She tells me. I smile.

"Ah, so you still play? That's great. I remember the days you used to play for me whenever I was hyped up on sugar as a way to calm me down. Worked every time." I say with a small laugh, joined by Regina's own amused chuckle.

"You were always out like a light by the time I finished my piece. Do you remember how you used to ask me to play something for you while you danced?" Regina asks with a wide smile. I nod shyly. She nudges my ankle with the tip of her shoe. I look up at her and smile back bashfully. "You were so amazing, Emma. You made ballet look effortless at such a young age. Why did you stop?"

I shrug. "I technically didn't stop. I told you I no longer took lessons; I didn't say anything about stopping entirely. Every other weekend, I teach a beginner's ballet class at the local dance studio. You know, the one down the street from campus?" She nods. "Well, I'm a part-time instructor there. I share a class with another instructor, and she and I alternate teaching the class each weekend." I tell her. Her eyes widen in surprise, an impressed smile forming on her lips. "Try not to let that piece of information get out though. Not even Ruby and Belle know about that."

"This sounds familiar." She says with a breathy laugh. I grin at the sound.

"Well, even though they're my best friends and I live with them, I try to keep my job a secret. If they knew that I taught ballet, they might end up coming by the studio every other weekend to watch me dance. And well, we can't have that." I say with a chuckle.

"I get it. You want to have something of your own. You told me this when you were 9, remember?" She says lightly, bumping her shoulder with mine as she swings closer to me. "You know, my piano playing is something I keep to myself as well. My mother, Kathryn, and _you_, all know that I play it, but I've only ever let you hear my original pieces. Playing pieces by Mozart, Bach, Yiruma, Fiscella, Beethoven, and all of those other classical artists, is something I do when in company. But when alone, I play my own, _personal_, songs."

"Why did you only play your original pieces around me?"

"Because, for some odd reason, I always felt that I could be myself around you. You were young and you didn't judge me, and I appreciated it. And look at us now, 9 years older and both adults, yet, nothing has changed. I still feel like I can be myself around you, and you still don't judge me. I guess it's just refreshing."

"Well, I've always felt that I could be myself around you too, hence why you were always the only person, besides my family, to know about my ballet. I guess it's refreshing being near you too." I tell her with a noncommittal shrug, laughing at her playful eye roll.

"Good to know. So, what's your favorite dessert?" She asks suddenly. I look at her in confusion and she chuckles. "We were playing 20 questions, were we not?" I return her eye roll.

"Banana splits. You?"

"Apple turnover. When did your first kiss occur, and who was it with?"

"When I was 13, and it was with my friend Killian during a game of truth or dare. Same question."

"When I was 12, and it was with Kathryn. We wanted to know what it was like to kiss someone, so we kissed each other." She told me with a shrug. We seem to be doing a lot of shrugging today. "First crush?"

"You already know the answer to that question, so I'm not going to even dignify that with an answer. First concert?"

"No Doubt. Same question."

And so our game of 20 questions continued on, filled with laughter and playful teasing. I can easily say that this was the best non-date ever! (Even though I am still convinced that this was a legitimate date.)

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"Well, I had fun tonight." Regina says softly as I walk her to her car. The woman drives a Mercedes Benz. Fucking nice!

"So did I. Maybe we can do this again sometime?" I suggest coyly. She leans her back against her car door and smiles at me.

"Maybe. Can I see your phone?" She asks suddenly. I fish my phone out of my jeans pocket and hand it to her wordlessly, watching as she fiddles around with the touch screen. After a few moments, she hands my phone back with a smile. "You now have my number, and I now have yours. Maybe the next time we run into each other outside of class, it won't be coincidental." She says with that sexy wink of hers. It never fails to make me swoon.

"So, does this mean I can call you and text you?" I ask hopefully. She giggles quietly at that and nods, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss on my cheek. A blush crosses my cheeks at the contact of her pillow soft lips against my skin.

"Yes. I would love it if you did. So please, don't let my number go to waste." A wide smile spreads across my lips. I lean forward and place my own kiss on her cheek, causing a bright blush to tinge her cheeks. The color of our faces now match. It looks like I have the same effect on her, as she has on me.

"Awesome. Well, I guess this is where we part."

"I guess it is. Do you need a ride to your car?"

"No, it's actually right over there." I say, pointing four cars down. She grimaces at the sight of my car, and I roll my eyes. "Stop hating on my car, Regina."

"Your car is a deathtrap on wheels. Trust me, I am not hating on it."

"Whatever you say. So, I'll see you around. I hope the rest of your weekend is awesome."

"Same to you, dear. Goodnight, Emma." She says, opening her car door.

"Hey, Regina." She pauses at the open car door, staring at me questioningly. "Your jacket." I remind her, pulling the jeans jacket off of my shoulders. She halts my movements and offers me a smile.

"You can return it to me on Monday." And with that, she climbs into her car and starts up the engine. I trek back to my car and hop in, waiting a moment for her car to pass by. As her car begins to pass mine, she stops momentarily to wave at me before driving off. Just as I start up my car, I hear my phone vibrate against the passenger seat. I take up my phone and unlock the screen; 1 unread message waiting for me.

A wide grin takes over my face as I read the message.

_**Regina**_: _**Tonight was amazing. I really had fun on our DATE. Perhaps we can plan a second date sometime soon? ;)**_

_**Emma: Lol, definitely. Goodnight, Regina. **_

_**Regina: Goodnight, Miss Nolan-Swan-just-Swan. **_

I think I've just died of happiness.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey guys! First of all, I would like to say thank you for all of the incredible feedback I've gotten for the last few chapters. I'm glad so many of you are still enjoying the story. Because of your reviews, follows, and favorites, you're getting an earlier update! So, keep doing what you guys are doing, and I'll keep updating as fast I've been lately :P. This chapter is just a filler to prepare you for the eventful following chapter. Hope you enjoy anyhow. All mistakes are mine.**

Last night was incredible. It was the epitome of a perfect date, in my opinion. Who would have thought that someone as amazing as Regina Mills would ever be into _me_, of all people? I'm not exactly what you'd call suave, or romantic, or the perfect girlfriend. Not that Regina is my girlfriend or anything, but that is definitely the future goal I have in mind. I mean, sure, I've never actually been someone's girlfriend before, but I'm willing to learn what being a good girlfriend consists of; _if_ given the chance to don that title. I still can't believe she actually called our outing a "date". After weeks of her telling me that she'd never date a student, she changes her mind last minute for _me_! A part of me is scared that I'm not the only student she's ever taken on a date, and that she's just playing me. But a larger part of me believes that I truly am the only student she's ever dated, and that she actually believes I'm special enough to give the chance. I feel like I'm on cloud nine right now, and I don't ever want to touch the ground again. I wonder if she feels as happy as I do right now…

Suddenly, a loud screeching noise pierces the silence of my room, pulling me out of my thoughts. It takes me a while to realize that the screeching noise is my phone's ringtone. And it's not just any ringtone either; it's my brother's personalized ringtone. I groan to myself as I eye the time on the clock and see a bright red _7:10 a.m_. flashing at me. Ladies and gentlemen, my brother the early bird. I reach over to my bedside table and take up my phone, swiping my thumb across the screen to answer my brother's call.

"Hello." I say tiredly into the receiver. I hear an exasperated sigh on the other line, and I immediately realize that this isn't going to be a pleasant conversation.

"Explain yourself." August's gruff voice says.

"Hello to you too, dear brother. I'm doing fine, how are you?" I say sarcastically, with an eye roll he can't see. "Explain myself about what?"

"Don't play stupid, Emma. I know you went on a date with your professor last night."

"And how exactly do you know that?" I say with a sigh, already knowing the answer.

"My brunette sister informed me of your _non-date_-which can easily be translated into a _date_- when I called to check up on you guys last night."

"I'm going to kill, Ruby…"

"Emma, talk to me. What the hell were you thinking? Why would you go on a date with your professor of all people?!"

"I don't have to explain myself to you, August. I may be your little sister, but I am still an adult, and who I choose to go out with is none of your concern." I tell him in irritation. The only time my brother seems to call me nowadays is when he feels the need to berate me about something. He's worse than our parents.

"It is my business, Emma. You're my little sister! If some old professor is just preying on you, or hoping to make you their little plaything so they can blackmail you and mess with your grades, then I sure as hell need to know about it!" Brother bear has been awakened. Well, fuck.

"First of all, I am insulted by the fact that you think I'm stupid enough to let a professor use me. I'm a good judge of character, August, and I know for a fact that Regina isn't like that." I tell him with an angry huff. I love my brother dearly, but I hate it when overprotective August comes out to play. He barely listens to reason when he's in brother bear mode.

"And how are you so sure about that? And did you just say, Regina? What, you found a professor with the same name as your former babysitter crush? I bet she has similar features too, huh?" I grit my teeth together and cover my eyes with the crook of my elbow. I exhale angrily and shake my head at his condescending tone.

"It's the same Regina, August." I tell him truthfully. Silence immediately envelops us, and I have to pull away my phone for a moment to see if the call is still connected.

It is.

"Regina Mills is your professor?! Dude, _what_?" There's the brother I know and love. "You went on a date with Regina? The same one you were completely in love with? The same one I told you to get over? Whoa…that's…whoa." My anger immediately fades away at his shocked and dumbfounded tone. My brother was always really fond of Regina. He had met her on several occasions when he would come back to visit Storybrooke, and the two had hit it off immediately. August was the one to talk her through her college applications and scholarship options. He was always very informed about stuff like that, hence why Ruby, Belle, and I are so well-off right now.

"Yes, that same Regina. Still want to lecture me?" I ask, a smirk in my tone.

"Um…well, no. And that's only because I know Regina, and she has always genuinely cared for you. But wow…_how_ did this happen? _When_ did this happen?" He asks, losing the protective edge to his voice, now sounding genuinely interested in how things between Regina and I came about. I chuckle breathily and recall all of the events that led up to our date—starting from the first day I approached her after class, and every time after that. He stays silent during my recollections, occasionally offering a hum to let me know he's listening. By the time I get to the events of our date last night, I can hear the smile in his voice when he says "Its fate."

"What is?" I ask, completely puzzled.

"You and Regina meeting again and forming an instant connection. Your story sounds strangely like that of the novel I'm currently working on." Did I forget to mention that my brother is not just the head of the history department at his school, but he's also a published romance novelist?_ "_You know, the one where a girl reconnects with her, older, childhood crush, who was also her best friend's older brother. And then they meet again 6 years later, where he's her TA in college, and they immediately form a connection, though he has no clue who she really is until the end. Except, in your case, you're both women, and Regina learned of your identity much sooner; also, she was your babysitter and not the older sibling of your best friend. But, you get where I'm going with this."

"No, not really."

"I just mean that you and Regina were obviously meant to meet again, and to be something to each other. Though I trust that her intentions with you are true, I would still like to talk to her and get to know this older, more mature, Regina." I groan in embarrassment at that.

"You are not interrogating my potential girlfriend, August."

"If she's your potential girlfriend, then I sure as hell have the right to interrogate her."

"No you don't. Besides, so far, we've only been on one date." I remind him.

"No, you've been on three. Two of them were just unofficial. That impromptu library date, that impromptu dinner date, and that planned dinner date, all count."

"You sound like Ruby and Belle."

"Well, Ruby and Belle are right. Expect a visit from me this weekend."

"Wait, Aug-

***click***

Well, I guess I should warn Regina about her impending doom.

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_Next Day_

"Good morning, Miss Nolan. I see that you actually paid more attention on my lesson and less attention on my legs today. I applaud you." Regina says playfully as I approach her desk after the last of the students leave the classroom. I playfully roll my eyes at her observation and lean my hip against the big mahogany desk, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Ha ha. I always pay attention to your lessons; getting to admire your legs is just an added bonus." I tell her with a smirk. She smirks back and nods in agreement.

"I guess it is, Swan. So, how was the rest of your weekend? You didn't use my number like I hoped you would." She says with an adorable pout. I giggle softly at the look and poke her in the side. How does she go from sultry to adorable in a matter of seconds?

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't want to seem overeager or something. Plus, I got an interesting call yesterday morning from my brother." I tell her, trying to slowly lead up to what I'm about to say.

"Oh, how is your dear brother? I haven't spoken to him in about 6 years." Regina tells me.

"Wait, 6 years? You guys still kept in touch after you left Storybrooke?" I ask, completely dumbfounded. And if I'm being honest, a little hurt too.

"Well, yeah. He and I were friends at one point in time. He was my go-to guy for academic advice. It wasn't until my senior of year of college that we lost touch. And I know what you're thinking. Why would I keep in touch with your brother and not you? The answer to that is simple; you were too young to understand my distress." Regina tells me with a soft smile. I pout at that, and she pulls my hand into hers. "We used to talk about you sometimes, if that makes you feel any better." She says to me sweetly.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He used to tell me your progress in school, how you were doing with ballet and karate. He would tell me about the awards you would win, and the new friends you would make. Things like that. The last time I spoke to him, you were in eighth grade, and had made the A honor roll for the second quarter in a row. I never forgot about you—well, despite the fact that I sort of did until you told me who you were—but that's beside the point….so what did August say to you that was so interesting?" Regina asks, obviously just remembering what I said in the first place.

"He said that he's coming down this weekend to visit me…." I say slowly.

"That's great!"

"….And he's coming here so that he can interrogate you about your intentions with me…."I finish off with a nervous smile. Regina's eyes widen comically at that, and she halts the movement of putting the strap of her briefcase over her shoulder.

"Oh…well….that's…wow." She stammers out. I trap my bottom lip between my teeth and nod.

"Yeah…."

"So, I'm assuming he knows about our date?"

"Yep. Blame Ruby for that one. Look, it's cool if you want to back out of whatever this is we have between us now. My brother can be a little scary. And I mean, you're not exactly my girlfriend, and we've only been on one official date, but my brother is super protective, and—

"Emma, calm down. I understand. I'll meet with him next weekend. No worries." She says with a shrug, though the scared look in her eyes is evident.

"You don't have to if you don't want to—

"If I want to continue taking you out, then I'll have to do this. And Emma, I _really_ like spending time with you, and I'm not ready for that to stop just yet. I'll talk to your brother and endure whatever interrogation he has prepared for me." She says earnestly, a surge of butterflies flapping around my belly at her admission.

"You'd actually do that?"

"Duh. I just said that I would, Emma. Keep up. Now, come, I have another class in 15 minutes and I would really like to get there on time. Walk with me?" She asks as she places her briefcase strap over her shoulder-successfully this time-staring at me questioningly. I smile at her and nod, making my way out of the classroom with Regina following closely behind me.

"So, you're really okay with August interrogating you?"

"I just said that I was like three times. Better to get this over with now than later."

"I guess." I say as we reach a new building, now standing at the entrance of it.

"Well, my class is in here. I'll text you afterwards, and maybe we can meet for a coffee or something?" She suggests with a shy smile. I smile back.

"I'd like that."

"Great."

"Awesome."

"Splendid."

"Well, have fun in class."

"Have fun doing whatever it is you do after my class. Text you later, Emma." With that, she discreetly takes my hand in hers and gives it a squeeze before dropping it, and entering the building.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So, what kind of questions should I be expecting?" Regina asks as she takes a sip of her hot coffee. Her class ended 30 minutes ago, and since I was still near campus, I decided to meet her at a small coffee shop that's just down the street from the school.

I take a sip of my hot chocolate, and ponder over her question. "Well, the inevitable question he will ask is what your intentions with me are. He may or may not ask your relationship history, how long your previous relationships have lasted, and what was the reason for them ending. Um, besides that, I have no clue. My brother is extremely creative with his questioning of potential suitors. I think the only reason he wants to question you is because you're the only person I've actually been interested in." I tell her with a shrug, deciding to take another sip of my hot chocolate.

"So, you've never had a girlfriend before? No romantic interests?" She asks in surprise. I suddenly feel very timid, and nod silently. "Aww, why is that?" I shrug in answer. "You can tell me when you're ready. I don't mean to pry, I'm just curious is all." She says apologetically, taking a sip of her coffee.

"It's okay. I just—yeah. It's nothing really. I guess it's just rare for me to be romantically interested in anyone. I don't know why that is." I lie easily, not wanting her to know that my feelings for her have never faded. That would be a little much to tell her now. Maybe if she and I ever become girlfriends I can tell her the real reason.

"I can understand that. I haven't had many significant others or romantic interests either." She tells me with a reassuring smile, trying to make me feel comfortable about my lack of relationship experience. I smile back and take another sip of my hot chocolate, the whipped cream on top making contact with my lip. When I place my mug back on the table, I hear a cute giggle across from me. I look up to see Regina giggling quietly at the whipped cream mustache taking residence on my top lip. I quirk a brow at her and wiggle my eyebrows playfully, puckering my lips at her to show off my creamy mustache. She leans across our table and gently brushes her thumb across my top lip, removing the creamy substance. She allows her thumb to linger on my lip for a few moments before drawing her hand back.

My jaw drops, and my cheeks flush when she licks the whipped cream off of the pad of her thumb, moaning exaggeratedly at the taste. "Yummy." She says with a smirk.

"Uh…um…" I stutter out, losing whatever train of thought I may have had before her sexy display.

"Cat got your tongue?" She asks with a quirked brow. I stutter out more non-words, causing her to chuckle sexily. I open my mouth, only to snap it shut again. The things this woman does to me. I pick up my abandoned mug and take a long sip of my beverage, trying to quench my, now, parched throat.

A chirp sounds from the tabletop, and I look over to see Regina's phone lighting up with a text message. She offers me an apologetic smile and picks up her phone to type out a message. When she's done, she places her phone into her pocket and rises up from her seat. I look up at her questioningly and she offers me a small smile.

"I'm sorry, that was Kathryn. She wants me to meet her at my apartment in a few minutes. I really don't want to cut this date short, but her message seemed a bit urgent." She says to me apologetically. I smile at her admission of this being a date and rise from my seat as well.

"It's okay. We can reschedule this _date _for another day."

She seems to just realize her slipup and nods silently, allowing me to walk her out of the coffee shop, and down the street, closer to our school's parking lot. Once we reach teacher's parking, we smile shyly at one another, not knowing what to say.

"So, I'll see you Wednesday." She says, breaking the silence first.

"Right." I tell her. As I look around the parking lot, I see not one person in sight. Hell, even the cars are empty. I look back to Regina, and before I get the chance to react, her lips make contact with my cheek. I blush at the contact and she smiles sweetly.

"See you later. I shall go home and practice my answers for your brother….right after I help Kat with her crisis." Regina says with a determined expression. I giggle at that, and she offers my hand a quick squeeze before turning in the direction of her car.

She'll pass my brother's interrogation with flying colors.

I hope…

**A/N: Next chapter will be mostly SQ with August's interrogation. Keep reviewing, alerting and favorite(ing) and I will try to update soon! Hope you enjoyed this little filler. I promise next chapter will be pretty damn eventful and fluff-filled lol. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: All mistakes made are mine. Anyway, enjoy!**

"Are you ready for this?"

"Yes."

"Are you really?"

"No, not even a little bit. But I want to get this over with, and I'll be damned if I don't charm the balls off of your brother."

"That was kind of disgusting."

"Yet you're smiling." Regina says triumphantly, pointing at the wide smile spread across my face. I giggle quietly at that and shrug.

Today is the day of Regina's interrogation with my brother. August just touched down in Maine with his wife and kids about two hours ago, and they're already checked into a nearby hotel. It looks like he's turned this interrogation into a family trip. I sincerely hope that he doesn't bring my two little angels, and my sister-in-law to where he's meeting Regina and I…. I'd rather she and I experience our embarrassment and mortification in private. The fact that he even feels the need to interrogate my non-girlfriend is bad enough.

"What time is your brother supposed to be meeting us here?" Regina asks nervously, her eyes darting around the small café where we've decided to meet my brother. I watch in amusement as her eyes dart to the entrance every time a new person walks in—which hasn't really been that often. Besides us, there is only two other patrons in the small café; which is good in a way. This means that if my brother decides to cause a scene, there will be less than 5 witnesses. I'm just hoping he really _doesn't_ cause a scene because there's only so much embarrassment I can take in one day.

"He texted me about 10 minutes ago and said that he was on his way." I tell her, pulling out my phone to check for any new texts I may have missed during my internal struggle. As I pull open my phone, I see an unread message blinking across my screen; it's from Ruby. I open the message to see a thumbs up emoji, as well as a smiley face attached to a short message.

_**Ruby: Good luck! I hope your brother doesn't kill Regina**_** with humiliation. **

_**Emma: Well, that was certainly comforting. Thanks for that, Rubes.**_

_**Ruby: What are best friends for? ;)**_

I shake my head silently, rolling my eyes at the girl I call my best friend. She's such a joy to have in my life sometimes. (That was sarcasm by the way.) I love Ruby, but she can be a total pain in the ass.

As I place my phone onto the tabletop, I hear the door to the café open. There, at the entrance, is my brother in all his handsome and terrifying glory. He looks over the café and spots Regina and I, flashing us a small smile, before walking over. I turn to Regina and see a nervous smile stretched across her face. I begin to chuckle at that, but stop midway through when muscular arms wrap around my shoulders from behind, a scruffy face burrowing into the crook of my neck. I giggle as the scruff of my brother's facial hair tickles my neck and can't help the smile that blossoms on my face. After a few seconds, he pulls away and walks around the table to Regina. Regina stands quickly, her eyes wide and terrified, causing both August and I to laugh. August wordlessly pulls her into a hug, one that takes her a few seconds to return, and then pulls away, walking back to my side of the table and taking the seat beside me.

"It's so nice to see you two again, especially you, Regina. It's been what? Six, maybe seven years since we've last spoken? Maybe eight years since we've last seen each other?" August says pleasantly, putting both Regina and I at ease for the moment. Regina nods her head with a shy smile.

"I believe it has been. You look really handsome, August." Regina says sweetly. He chuckles at that and nods his thanks.

"Thank you. You've turned into a quite a woman, Regina. You've matured very well." He says in a charming voice. I resist the urge to roll my eyes. This is what my brother does—he sweet talks you and butters you up, putting you into a false sense of security, and then he goes in for the kill. I know how his mind works, mainly because he does the opposite of everything I do. Where I'm more blunt and like to get straight to the point, he likes to beat around the bush for a while and then catch you off guard when you're least expecting it. Or, at least, that's the way he is with everyone except for me, Ruby, and Belle. I guess it's because I'm his little sister, and Ruby and Belle have always been like little sisters to him as well, hence why he has no filter around us. I think I'd prefer his absence of filter because, right now, I feel really bad for what Regina is about to endure.

"Thanks." She says quietly, tucking a stray piece of her chocolate locks behind her ear.

"Okay, so now that our pleasantries are out of the way, let's get down to business." He says suddenly, an authoritative air to his tone. I knew this was coming, so I just roll my eyes. Regina on the other hand, looks terrified by the sudden change in attitude. When she looks over to me, I offer her an apologetic smile, secretly taking her hand in mine under the table, offering it a reassuring squeeze.

"Okay." She squeaks out nervously. August's lips twitch upwards, obviously trying to suppress a snicker, which he successfully manages to do by schooling his features into a hard expression.

"Great. So, I would first like to ask the question I know you are expecting: what are your intentions with my baby sister?" He asks with a raised brow, sitting back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest, and his blue eyes penetrating into Regina's mocha orbs. Regina inaudibly gulps and settles back into her chair, exhaling a large breath.

"My only intention with your sister is getting to know her again, and maybe, in the near future, pursuing a relationship with her. I really like Emma, and I don't intend to hurt her—physically or emotionally, to be clear—and I just, genuinely, want to explore whatever it is she and I could possibly have. This isn't a game to me, and what I'm beginning to feel for your sister is not a joke. And I assure you that I am taking your sister's feelings into account, and would never lead her on if I didn't intend to be in a committed relationship with her in the future. I care for her greatly, August, and you should already know that by now." Regina says with a strong voice, the earlier nervousness now gone from her features as she stares directly into my brother's eyes, unflinching.

"Oh, is that so? And why should I believe you?" August asks challengingly. Regina leans forward a bit.

"You don't have to believe a word I say, but either way, I would never intentionally hurt your sister, and I mean that." Regina says with conviction, staring deeply into my brother's eyes to get her point across. My heart flutter at the seriousness of her tone, and my throat goes dry at the incredibly hot, incredibly determined, expression on her face. I look to my brother and see respect reflecting in his blue eyes, a small impressed smirk forming on his lips.

"Very well then. I believe you. What I would also like to know is what it is you like about my baby sis. I believe that you care for her and that you like her, but what about her drew you in?" He asks in a gentler tone, his hard expression relaxing a bit. I look at Regina curiously this time, desperately wanting to know the answer as well.

"Well…" She starts slowly, aiming a smile my way before looking down at the table. "she's not like anyone I've ever met before. She's kind, sweet, intelligent, direct, unafraid to speak her mind, understanding, humorous, not to mention completely beautiful—inside and out. She has so many good qualities to her that I can't help but like her. I don't think anyone would be able to stop themselves from liking her, to be honest. I just—I feel a connection with her that I've never felt with anyone else. She just gets me. So, that's just some of the things I like about her. I believe that the more time I get to spend with her, the more things about her I will find to adore." Regina says softly, flashing a bashful smile in my direction. I blush at her words and focus my attention on the tabletop, trying to force the blush that's threatening to spread across my cheeks, away.

"And if you two do decide to become a couple, then what? Don't think I've forgotten that you are still Emma's professor. Though it's not illegal for you two to be involved, the fact that she is currently your student may seem a bit off to other students and faculty members. Those who are not privy to the fine details of your relationship will assume that you gave her favorable treatment, or something equally as unethical. Which I find hilarious, because you're an ethics professor. And I'm not saying that I find your relationship unethical by the way; it's far from it in my opinion. So, I guess what I'm trying to ask is how you'll handle the situation, should word of your relationship get out around campus?" August asks in a serious tone. Regina and I's faces drops at that. I guess this goes to show that neither she, nor I, have thought about the consequences we could possibly face for being involved with one another.

"Well, uh..." Regina starts, clearing her throat awkwardly, before shooting me a panicked look. "I…I've never really thought about it, to be honest. I've never been in this type of situation before. Before _now_, that is." Regina says quietly, breaking eye contact with my brother.

"Well, you're going to have to figure something out." He tells her gently, reaching across the table to rest his hand atop hers. She looks back up at him and he offers her a lopsided smile, before turning his attention to me. "How much longer will Regina be your professor?" He asks.

"One more month. This course is just 8 weeks long." I inform him. His lopsided smile turns into a full smile at that information.

"That's great! That means all you two have to do is keep your blossoming relationship discreet for the next month, and then when it's done, you can openly be together. I've seen a lot of professor-student relationships occur, and majority of the couples wait until the student is no longer in that professor's class before they make it known that they're a couple. I'm not saying you two have to stop hanging out or anything; a lot of students hang out with their professors. I'm just saying that you guys should refrain from doing anything that can be seen as non-platonic around campus. Just for now." August suggests. I think it over for a few moments, and he has a point. I look over to Regina and see that she's agreeing with his suggestion as well.

"Well, that sounds reasonable." She admits.

"I concur." I say with a nod.

August grins at us and nods, obviously very pleased with himself. "Great! Well, that's all I have to ask to ask for now. Regina?"

"Yes?"

"You've passed my interrogation. I believe your intentions are true. But if it turns out that you went back on your promise to not hurt my sister, then I will hunt you down." He says in a deadpan tone, causing the blood to drain from Regina's face.

"Dude!" I exclaim, punching my brother in the bicep. He laughs loudly at that and grins mischievously.

"I'm sorry, but did you not see her face?" He exclaims with a howl of laughter, causing all of the blood to rush back to Regina's face, and a huge blush to spread across her cheeks. As his laughter dies down, he stares at Regina with a smirk, before the smirk disappears entirely, and a hard expression crosses his face. "No, but seriously, hurt my sister and I'll hunt you down."

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"Well, that was a fun interrogation, wasn't it?" I say lightly to Regina as she and I sit inside of _Marco's_ for a late lunch. Regina stares up from her pasta and raises a brow at me. "Well, you passed his interrogation." I say with a shrug as I pop a French fry into my mouth. Regina stays silent as she pushes her spaghetti around her plate, a loud sigh escaping her mouth as she places her fork down. "What's wrong?" I ask in concern. Finally, after what seems like centuries of silence, she looks up at me with conflicted eyes.

"What your brother said about the consequences of us being together has kind of gotten to me." Regina tells me truthfully. I swallow hard at that.

"Well, I mean, sure, we're technically just dating right now, but we aren't girlfriends yet. I don't want you to lose your job or anything, so if you want what we have to end before it gets serious, then I completely understand." I say quietly, pushing my plate away from me. I've suddenly lost my appetite. The thought of us never getting the chance to truly become something hurts more than any pain I've ever felt before.

"That's…that's not what I want though, Emma. I was being 100 percent honest when I told your brother that I really liked you and wanted to, eventually, be in a relationship with you. It's just that… I don't want students and faculty members to talk badly about you if we decide to become an item. I don't really care what they say about _me_, but it matters to me what they say about _you._ I highly doubt that I'd lose my job over this, mainly because there's nothing in my contract, or in the student handbook, that prohibits a relationship between a student and teacher. So, I'll still have a job, though my reputation around campus may end up tarnished. But that would be okay with me, as long as yours is not. I don't want anyone thinking that you don't work hard for your grades, or that you've been given special treatment to get to where you are today. I don't think I'd be able to handle hearing anyone talking badly about you." Regina says with a soft sigh.

I smile gently at her, reaching my hand across the table to rest on hers. She brushes her thumb against the back of my hand and looks deeply into my eyes, her brown eyes searching mine.

"I can handle the haters, Regina. Don't worry about me. You should worry about you, and I'll worry about me." I tell her with a shrug. She sends me a tiny smile and continues stroking her thumb across the back of my hand. "So, does this mean that we're going to continue going on dates? Because I really like our little impromptu dates and hangouts. They're the best parts of my day." I tell her truthfully.

"Yes, we can continue with our impromptu dates. But like your brother said, we should remain discreet about our, uh, _relationship_ on campus. Which means that I'm going to have to teach you to be discreet." I gasp in mock offense.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"That means that you suck at being discreet, Swan."

"You take that back!"

"Nope." She says with a smirk. I pout at her and take my hand back, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Whatever." I mutter out. She chuckles quietly at that, as our waiter returns to our table with two take out trays and the bill. Regina and I smile at him gratefully and pack away our food. Once we're done with that, we stand up and walk to the front where he's talking with the hostess. I take a few bills out of my pocket and hand him the money on our way out, telling him to keep the change. Once we're outside, and standing in front of Regina's car—which we drove together in—Regina pulls me into a tight hug. One that I gladly return. We stay in each other's embrace for a few more moments, her face buried into my blonde locks, and my face snuggled into the crook of her neck, before pulling away partially.

"Staring Monday we're going to start your training in being discreet." She tells me with a smirk. I roll my eyes at her in mock annoyance.

"Whatever." I mumble out with a pout.

"Until then, let's take advantage of getting to be open about the nature of our relationship."

"What do you-

And then my question is suddenly cut off by two soft lips colliding with mine.

**A/N: This is not a cliffhanger by the way lol. Think of this as the turning point in their relationship. Or in other words, a major progression in it. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I hope you all continue reading and reviewing like you've been doing! Until next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the not-so-fast update. I've been having internet troubles, and I've been busy with school AND I've started to experience writer's block lol. So, yeah. I apologize for the, possibly, crappy update, but I figured you guys would like an update. This chapter isn't completely SQ like the last few chapters, but there are some SQ moments. So, I hope you enjoy! All mistakes made are mine. **

_Two weeks later…_

"Regina, we have to—mmm—we have to stop." I mutter out, breathlessly, in between sweet kisses. Regina smiles against my lips, shaking her head in a petulant manner.

"How about we don't and say we did." She suggests lowly, placing another kiss to my lips, as she traps my body between hers and her office wall. I pull away momentarily and stare into her dark, lustful, eyes, my eyes raking over her flushed face and swollen red lips. I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful sight. I smile at the sight before me and lean back in, recapturing her lips with mine. She moans lowly as she presses her lips firmly against mine, her hand weaving its way through my blonde tresses. I lean the back of my head against the wall, humming in content as our lips continue to move against one another's at a languid pace.

"Regina…" I whimper out pathetically. She smirks against my lips and ignores my silent plea, now, trailing her lips down the length of my jaw. My eyes close on their own accord, before opening again slowly, taking in the sight of the clock perched on her office desk. My eyes widen in surprise when I notice the time. Reluctantly, I place my hand against Regina's sternum, pushing her away gently. "We have class in five minutes. If we don't leave now, we'll both be late." I tell her softly. She lets out a frustrated sigh and, reluctantly, takes a few steps back.

"This is maddening." Regina says in a low whimper, her eyes trained to the ground, while her bottom lip is trapped between her teeth. I offer her a small smile and reach for her hand, taking it into my own and offering it a reassuring squeeze.

"I know what you mean, and as much as I hate having to sneak around with you on campus, I also get a weird thrill out of this whole situation. It's kind of sexy getting to make out with you in random places with a high possibility of getting caught. Don't you think?" I ask with a smirk. Regina playfully rolls her eyes and smirks back.

"It's exhilarating, dear." Regina says in a deadpan manner, causing me to chuckle. She walks over to her desk and picks up my backpack, holding it out for me to take. I let out a sigh and grab the offered item, placing the bag over my shoulders. " Go, Miss Nolan. You now have three minutes to get to class, so please go before you are late. I'll be there in a minute." She tells me with a flustered smile. I smile back at her in amusement. I place a quick kiss to her lips and open her office door, offering her a small wave before I head out and make my way out of her office.

A few seconds later, after descending the stairs and walking down the corridor, I arrive at the classroom and enter, swiftly making my way to the seat next to Ruby and Belle. I ignore the knowing smirks they send my way as I take out my textbook and place it on the desk. A few moments later, Regina enters the room, striding swiftly to her desk, looking as elegant and put-together as possible. I am starting to wonder how she does that. It seems that when I enter the classroom after our morning make out session, I still look completely flushed and out of breath. I think I'm going to ask her what her secret is later.

"Sorry for my tardiness, class. I promise it won't happen again. Now, let's get started shall we? Please open up to page 124." Regina says to the class, pulling out her textbook and opening it to the requested page. The sounds of paper wrinkling, and turning, fills the room, and once it seems that everyone is on the correct page, Regina begins reading aloud. I listen as her raspy voice envelops me in a hazy warmth, numbing my senses and turning my brain to mush. The effect this woman has on me is amazing. Even something as mundane as her speaking about utilitarianism is a turn on for me. It's sad. I sigh to myself and lean back in my seat, staring hard at the page of my textbook, having no clue what paragraph we're currently on.

A nudge to my shoulder breaks me out of my reverie, and I look to my side to see Ruby giving me an amused smirk. "What?" I whisper to her. She rolls her eyes at me, the smirk still on her lips, and turns the page of my textbook, pointing to a specific paragraph. I blush lightly and mutter out a "thanks."

"Your early morning make-out session must've been highly intense. You haven't been this spaced out in class for the last three weeks." Ruby whispers to me.

"Shut up, Rubes." I hiss at her quietly. She chuckles at the pink tint forming on my cheeks and turns her attention back to her own textbook.

"Someone is sexually flustered." She remarks back. I growl warningly at her and she snickers into her fist, doing her best to hide her smile from view.

"You're such an ass." I mumble out, training my attention back to my textbook, only to see that I'm lost as to where we are—once again. Ruby leans over a second time, and flips my page for me, pointing to the first paragraph on the page. I roll my eyes at her and huff petulantly, my arms crossed over my chest as my eyes focus on the page, now following along with every word. My attention stays on the page until Regina stops reading, my eyes now traveling over to her. Her eyes meet mine briefly, a small smile playing at her lips, before her attention turns to the rest of the class, now asking their opinions on utilitarianism. I listen intently to the points being brought up by the male population of the class—the same male population that has a thing for my…well, _whatever_ it is that Regina is to me, and internally roll my eyes at the ridiculousness of their arguments. I mean, how is saying "I totally agree with the dude that created utilitarianism because it sounds like the smart thing to do" going to impress someone? Especially an older, more mature someone, like Regina?

I've realized, that in this class, only the males tend to answer Regina's questions, or offer their opinions. In the beginning of the semester, everyone—guys and girls alike—answered whatever Regina threw at us. But over time, the female students realized that the male students have become hell-bent on impressing Regina with their ludicrous answers, therefore, the female population now remains silent, and lets the boys sputter out their ridiculous points. It's a bit sad to be honest, but it's also extremely entertaining. I listen to the rest of the males share their opinions and nearly sigh in relief when Regina focuses our attention back to the textbook. Thank goodness for that.

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Half an hour, and ten more half-formulated opinions later, the class has finally come to an end, and before I know it, the only people left in the classroom are Ruby, Belle, Regina, and I. I gather up my things, and make my way towards Regina's desk, Ruby and Belle following behind me.

"See you Friday, Professor Mills. We'll be waiting for you outside, Emma." Ruby tells me with a smirk, throwing a wink my way for good measure. Belle giggles at her girlfriend's antics, and follows after her, leaving Regina and I alone.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting lecture. Is it just me, or have my students' answers gotten even more half-assed over time?" Regina asks in genuine intrigue, a frown on her face. I smile softly at her and playfully poke her in the side. She yelps a little at the unexpected contact, and offers me a playful glare.

"It's not just you, trust me. I've noticed too." I tell her with a smirk.

"Well, good thing this class ends in two weeks. Hopefully my next batch of students will actually bother to do the required reading."

"Hopefully your next batch of students won't be horny males trying to impress the skirt off of you with their half-assed answers." I retort with a shrug. She raises a brow at that and chuckles.

"Unfortunately for me, there is always a batch of male students trying to impress the skirt off of me. Of course, none of them succeed, seeing as my skirt is still very much on."

"Good." I say with a smirk. She chuckles at that, while eyeing the time on her wrist watch.

"Well, it's about that time. I need to get to my other class. You, as well as Miss Lucas and Miss French, are welcome to join me on my trek to the other side of campus." Regina offers with a smile. I smile back at her and nod, following her out of the classroom where a preoccupied Belle and Ruby are waiting. I clear my throat loudly, snapping the two love birds out of their heated lip lock. They snap away from each other quickly, their faces flushed crimson at being caught.

"Do you two horn dogs want to follow me to drop Regina off at her next class?" I ask them with a snicker.

"No, we're fine. We'll just meet you at the shuttle stop." Belle says with a small smile, pulling on Ruby's hand and nudging her head towards the nearest exit. Ruby seems to understand whatever silent message Belle is trying to get across, and nods with a devious smile.

"Yeah, see you later, Ems!" And with that, they rush out of the building, and head to god knows where, to do god knows what. Regina and I look at each other and shrug, making our way towards the opposite exit.

"Either they're going to find a new make-out location, or they're about to have a quickie." Regina supplies with amusement lacing her tone. I grimace at the visual of Ruby and Belle doing…._that_, and shudder in disgust. She chuckles at my horrified expression and continues walking. "So, what are you doing this weekend?"

"This weekend I will be going down to Storybrooke for Granny Lucas' birthday party on Saturday. Are you going?"

"I would, but I simply do not wish to. I try to avoid that town as much as possible. But, do wish Granny a happy birthday from me, will you?" I nod and smile. A few moments later, we reach the building Regina's class is held in. She turns towards me and looks around our surroundings subtly. I mentally prepare myself for what's about to come, and smile anxiously. Regina giggles at my expression and, quickly, places a kiss on my lips. She lingers there for a moment longer, before pulling away entirely and walking through the building entrance. "I'll see later, okay?" She calls over her shoulder.

"Of course. Text you later." I tell her. With that, she walks into the building, leaving a grinning me behind.

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"Hey there, Swan."

"What have I told you about calling me that, Killian?" I say in annoyance. My old friend chuckles at that and shrugs noncommittally.

"Not to do it, but you know that's never stopped me before. How goes it, Swan?" He asks with a smirk. I roll my eyes at his presence, and lean back in my chair. And people say libraries are supposed to be peaceful?

"Well, everything was going well before you interrupted the comfortable silence I was basking in. What do you want, Killian?" I ask with narrowed eyes. He only really comes to me when he wants something. And most of the time, what he wants, is a date. With me. He chuckles again and shrugs.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to catch up with one of my oldest and dearest friends. We've been friends since we were five, Swan, yet, since starting college, we don't talk or hang out nearly as much as we used to. It makes me a bit sad, if I'm being honest." He says with a mock pout. I roll my eyes at that, then stare at him suspiciously.

"Cut the crap, Jones. What is it that you want?" The mischievous smile that spreads across his face does nothing to quell my suspicion, but manages to make it intensify tenfold.

"Well, a few hours ago, while I was on my way to my class in the Masterton building, I noticed two women in a lip lock: one blonde, one brunette. They looked strangely like you and Professor Mills, though I could be wrong. But let me just say, the resemblance between those two women and you two, was uncanny. It was like you guys were twins. So, am I right, Swan? Was it your twins that I saw in a lip lock?" He asks with a smug smile. I should probably feel threatened and panicked at the fact that I've been busted. But, it's Killian...so it's kind of hard to feel threatened.

"You're irritating."

"And you're shagging the professor."

"Regina and I are not shagging, Killian. It isn't like that."

"Oh, so you're not secretly dating the professor?"

"Okay, so it's exactly like that. What's it to you?" I ask warily, my arms crossed over my chest.

"Well, it's nothing to me really. I just wanted to let you know to be more careful next time. Imagine it was someone else to have seen you and Miss Mills. I guarantee that she would be reported to the dean within minutes, and questioned thoroughly on her moral code. I know you, Swan, and I know that you would never sleep with a professor to better your grades or get special treatment. But anyone else who could have seen you two playing tonsil hockey, may believe that's exactly what you're doing. So, I guess what I'm saying is to be more careful the next time you two decide to taste each other's faces in public, okay?" He says earnestly, his eyes penetrating into mine. I give him a grateful nod.

"Okay. Just so you know, my brother gave Regina and I this talk two weeks ago. I think we're good on this now."

"Obviously not, did you not hear half of what I just said? Look, I know you Emma, and I know Regina. I know that she wouldn't just get together with anyone, and neither would you. Just, please be careful."

"Well, thanks Killian. And…how do you know Regina?" I ask quizzically. He smirks at me and chuckles lowly.

"She dated my cousin, Robin. She spent a lot of weekends at his house; as did I. She's always seemed like a genuinely good person who would never intentionally hurt anyone. So, I trust her, and I suppose you do too. Also, wasn't she your babysitter?" He asks with a loud laugh.

"Shut up."

"Fine, fine. I will. I'm done. I'll make fun of you another time then, Swan. I just wanted to tell you to be careful, which I did, about three times already. So, later Nolan-Swan." Killian says as he raises up from his seat, offering me a small smile before disappearing between the stacks of books. I shake my head to myself and focus my attention back on my open textbook.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"So, he knows?" Regina asks, a worried expression on her face. I nod slowly, offering her an apologetic smile.

"Yes, but he's not going to tell anyone. And how come you never mentioned that you knew Killian?" I ask her with a raised brow, settling back into the couch of the café we are currently in. The café we are in, is at least 30 minutes out of the city. I guess you can tell that Regina and I are definitely making sure to be more careful. Wouldn't want another student, or faculty member, to catch us n the act of kissing.

"I didn't think it was important information. Besides, I met Killian when he was ten, and he wasn't much for conversation. Honestly, even at ten, he made extremely lewd remarks towards me. I don't think he learned that from Robin though. And how are you so sure he won't say anything?"

"Because, as bad as Killian may seem at times, he's really not that bad of a guy. At least, not towards me. He's been in love with me since the third grade." I say with a shrug. Regina narrows her eyes at that.

"All the more reason for him to sabotage what we have." She reasons in a snarky tone. I smile at her and press a kiss to her cheek.

"If you say so, Regina. By the way, what are we exactly? Like, are we a couple?" I ask nervously. Regina shifts uncomfortably.

"Um, for now, we are just dating. I'm not quite ready to put a label on it as of yet, but I really do want to be your girlfriend, eventually. Just…I'm not ready for that yet…but I promise I will be." Regina tells me apologetically. I frown at that and nod reluctantly.

Well, okay." I say with a small voice. She takes my hand in hers, and leans forward, pressing a reassuring kiss to my lips. I sink into the kiss and let my thoughts run free.

Is this what things are going to be like for the next two weeks? Not knowing where she and I stand?

Regina pulls back slightly, looking into my, now, open eyes. "Don't think so hard, okay? I want to be with you, I just need to become a better me for myself, before I can be a better me for you."

"What does that even mean?" I ask helplessly.

"It means that I have a few internal struggles to work out before I pursue a serious relationship with you. For now, however, we are just dating. Exclusively dating." She adds, a dazzling smile spread across her lips.

I return the smile half-heartedly. Despite everything she just said about wanting to, eventually, be with me….why do I feel like I've just gotten the crappy end of the stick?

**A/N: And this is where things get a little serious. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I will try to update again within the next two to three days, if given enough encouragement and inspiration. Until next time guys!**


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: So, this chapter is Regina-centric and will give a little insight to Regina's life and her past. You'll finally meet my version of Kathryn, as well as my version of Robin lol. This story only has like 3 chapters left, which I'm sad to say, but I plan on starting new projects soon. If you want to know more about those, or have suggestions for new stories that I could write, follow me on Tumblr. My Tumblr link is in my profile, so check it out. Anyway, I really hope you all enjoy the chapter! **_

_**Warning: There's little to none SQ interaction in this chapter. Also, there's mentions of OutlawQueen.**_

…_**..**_

_**Regina's POV**_

_6 years ago_

"_When are you going to tell him, Regina?" Kathryn asks a moping, 21 year old Regina. Regina groans to herself, her face buried beneath a plethora of sheets, pillows, and stuffed animals. Kathryn rolls her eyes at her best friend's behavior, and sighs. She gets up from her desk chair, and walks over to Regina's bed—in their shared bedroom, located in their one-bedroom apartment—and sits atop Regina's covered abdomen. Regina groans loudly at the weight, and pointy bones, digging into her stomach. With a loud huff, Regina throws the covers—as well as the pillows and stuffed animals—off of her face, now openly glaring at the blonde sitting on top of her. "Nice of you to join me out here. How the hell were you even breathing with all that crap on top of your face?" Kathryn asks with genuine curiosity. Regina rolls her eyes and gestures for Kathryn to get off of her. Kathryn rolls her eyes and complies, sitting beside her friend, instead of _on_ her._

"_Are you going to talk to me about what's going on with you, or are we going to sit here and pretend everything is fine?" The blonde asks. Regina decides, then, to sit up in bed. Once her back is resting against her headboard, she runs her fingers through her wild hair in an effort to tame the unruly strands. After exhaling a deep breath, Regina looks directly at Kathryn, nothing but pain and fear swirling in her mocha orbs._

"_I don't know, Kat. I just don't…." Regina sighs, the back of her head colliding roughly with the headboard. _

"_Gina, you need to tell him that you can't be with him anymore. You can't keep leading him on and making him believe that things are all fine and dandy, when they're not." _

"_I know, I do—it's just, how do you tell your boyfriend of three years that you can no longer be with him because you've just realized that you're a lesbian? Sure, Robin is a great guy, an honorable guy, but even that announcement may make him hate me forever." _

"_He won't hate you. You just said it yourself, Gina! He's a great, and honorable, guy. He can't hate you for something you can't help." Kathryn says with a small, sympathetic smile. Regina's eyes fill with tears suddenly, throwing Kathryn completely off. Kat leans forward, using the pad of her thumb to brush away her friend's tears. "There's something else, isn't there?" And with that question alone, the floodgates open, and Regina begins sobbing loudly. The blonde woman scoots closer to the brunette, pulling her sobbing friend into her arms, while rubbing soothing circles onto her lower back. "Sshh, it'll be okay. Just let it out, baby girl." Kathryn mumbles soothingly into Regina's ear._

_After what seems like hours, but in reality, is only a few minutes, Regina pulls out of Kathryn's embrace, using the palm of her hands to wipe off the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I cheated on him, Kat." Regina whispers out quietly, so quietly that Kathryn almost missed it. But she heard it loud and clear. _

"_What? With who?" Kathryn asks calmly, though her mind is yelling out her disbelief. Since when does Regina cheat?_

"_Amanda…also known to us as Professor Collin's TA."_

"_You slept with our TA? When and how did this happen, Gina?" Kathryn asks in surprise, her eyes as wide as saucers._

"_It happened two nights ago at that sorority party we went to. After you left with Garrett, Amanda and I decided to get trashed, and then one thing led to another, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up next to her, completely naked, in her bed. I would love to blame everything on the alcohol, but I can't. I remember _everything_. Every touch, every kiss, every smile, and every moan-just…_everything_. I felt more alive in that one night of drunken passion, than I've ever felt in the three years I've been with Robin. What makes this situation even worse, is that I don't even regret doing it. I just regret how much this is going to hurt Robin." _

"_Whoa…well, okay." _

"_I'm a cheater, Kat. I'm a cheater, and a bad person. I've been avoiding him since then, and he's left a countless number of voicemails on my phone, asking what he did wrong. If I tell him the truth, I'm going to hurt him…"_

"_If you don't tell him the truth, you'll not only hurt him, but possibly break him beyond belief. You know what you have to do, Gina." Regina sighs in defeat, and nods. She has to go break the heart of the only person who's ever really loved her._

_Life's a bitch._

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_Present Day_

"How could you tell Emma that you didn't want to label what you guys had? What the hell is wrong with you, Regina?" Kathryn questions loudly, slugging me in the shoulder to emphasize her annoyance with me. I sigh in frustration, rubbing my aching shoulder to ease the pain, offering Kat a cutting glare.

"First of all: ouch! Second of all: she said she was fine with it, and that she understood." I tell her with a pout, as I continue to rub my sore shoulder. Kat scoffs at me and slugs me in my other shoulder, successfully leaving me with two sore limbs. I growl at her and glare sharply, hoping to instill some fear into her. Of course, that doesn't work. Not even a little bit. Knowing each other for all 27 years of our lives has pretty much contributed to her lack of fear, or discomfort, with me.

"You can't really be that clueless, can you?" I guess the blank look on my face says exactly that. Kat releases a long sigh and sinks further into my couch, the back of her head colliding against the cushions with a loud thump. "She was only saying that to please you, Gina, not because she actually meant it. She's young, and from what you've told me, very much into you. I would say that she's in the process of falling in love with you." My eyes widen at that, and the air immediately leaves my lungs. Love?

"She—she can't… I—

"You're falling for her too, and don't even try to deny it. I know you better than you know yourself, and you my friend, are falling head over heels for the girl. What I don't get is why you're so hesitant to pursue a relationship with her. You guys have been talking for almost two months now. You guys have been on several dates, have kissed many times, and practically spend all of your free time texting one another. Not only that, but in two weeks, you will no longer be her professor. You're at the point where you two can get into an established relationship with one another, and no will care. You guys will be free to be affectionate with each other around campus, and introduce each other as _girlfriends_. What's this really about, Gina?" Kat asks, almost knowingly. She probably does know what's wrong with me. She always does.

"It's nothing. I'm just not ready for—

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there." She says, cutting me off for the second time in three minutes. I sigh in defeat and relax against the couch cushions adjacent from Kat, staring at her anxiously. "This has to do with Robin, doesn't it? Or does it have to do with the girlfriend you had after him? What was her name again? Amanda?" Kathryn says with a thoughtful expression, staring at me, waiting for some type of confirmation. I nod slowly, and sigh, looking away from her, suddenly, sympathetic expression. "So, it has to do with both situations?" I shake my head. "So, just the Amanda situation?" I nod. "Sweetie, Amanda was a total dick. She cheated on you with several people; people who were all a bunch of dicks. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Oh, but I did. I guess this is where the Robin situation comes into play. I cheated on him with Amanda, then got into a relationship with Amanda, only to be cheated on 6 months into our relationship. And, then, I was cheated on every single time after that. I've been in four relationships since Robin, and have managed to get cheated on each and every time. This is my karma, Kat." I tell her with a shaky breath as the painful memories of all my failed relationships come into thought. Kat gets up from her seat and walks over to me, plopping down atop my lap, while wrapping her arms around my shoulders.

"I see what's going on here. You think that Emma is going to cheat on you too." Kathryn states, more than asks. I pout pathetically, and nod. Kat laughs lightly and places a kiss to the side of my head. "From what you've mentioned to me about Emma so far, I, personally, don't believe that she'd ever cheat on you. I remember Emma from your babysitting days, and that little girl used to stare at you like you were God's gift to the earth. If she looks at you, now, the way she looked at you then, then it's safe to assume that she would never even _consider_ being with anyone but you."

"Do you really think so?"

"I do. Doesn't mean I'm correct in my assumptions, but I strongly believe that she would never do anything to hurt you. That little girl, who is now a gorgeous, mature woman—judging from the pictures you've shown me- absolutely adores you. There's no doubt in my mind about that. Also, I remember you mentioning to me that she's never had a girlfriend before, and I have a feeling that her subconscious has been saving that specific title for you, and _only_ you." Kat says, nothing but raw honesty in her gaze. I feel my lips twitch upward, and before I know it, I'm fully grinning.

"Maybe you're right."

"I'm always right."

"Obviously not. Didn't you, at one point, tell me that I was going to marry Robin by the time I was 25, and bear at least three of his children?" I ask with a raised brow.

"I may have been a bit off on that prediction…" Kat mutters out sheepishly, causing me to snort in amusement. "Shut up. So, what are you going to do about Emma? Are you going to ask her to be your girlfriend after she comes back from her weekend in Storybrooke?"

"No."

"Then when?"

"When I'm ready. Like I've told you many times before, I do want to be Emma's girlfriend eventually, I just… I need to get rid of all of the fear and doubt that's plaguing my mind first." I tell her honestly. Kathryn nods and rests her head on my shoulder, now making herself very comfortable on my lap. I chuckle at how tight she's clutching me, and pat her on the back.

"Okay. So, do you want to go to _Marco's _and split a basket of barbeque wings, while drinking cheap Heineken?" I smile at the suggestion and shrug.

"Sure, why not."

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_6 years ago—Robin_

"_So…you're a lesbian?" Robin asks quietly, his eyes focused on the ground, refusing to meet Regina's helpless gaze. He can't believe this is happening. The girl he loves doesn't love him back…and probably never has. _

"_Yes…I—I think so." Regina mutters out, her attention now falling to the ground, as Robin's gaze snaps up to study her face._

"_You _think_ so? C'mon, Gina, you're going to have to do better than that. What brought up these feelings?" He asks quietly, afraid to hear the answer. Though, a feeling in his gut is telling him that he already knows what happened. Or, at least, has an inkling of what _may_ have happened._

"_I slept with someone else…someone who wasn't you. A woman." She tells him quietly, shame lacing her tone, as her eyes drift up to meet his. A frown mars his features as he stares at Regina in shock. _

"_Who was it?" He asks lowly, not a dangerous low, but a defeated low. A defeated tone that Regina had never heard from him before; not in all the 5 years that she'd known him. She felt like absolute shit._

"_My TA, Amanda. It was a few days ago, at that party I went to with Kathryn. I was drunk, though I am not blaming the alcohol for my actions, seeing as how I was very much in control of them at the time, I just… I don't know. For the last three years, I have felt safe with you. You make me smile, you make me laugh, and you make me feel secure. And as amazing as all of that sounds- for me- it just isn't enough. I haven't been totally honest with you, Robin. I haven't been truly happy in this relationship, and I realize that it has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with me. Though I love you, it isn't the type of love that I've dreamt about my entire life…but, it's more of a brotherly type of love." She tells him truthfully, tears gathering in her eyes as she watches Robin's eyes turn glassy with unshed tears. "If I felt that I could be in love with you, I am pretty sure I would be… But I'm not, and I'm sorry."_

"_Is that why we haven't slept together in six months?" He asks brokenly. Regina looks away from his earnest gaze and nods. "And there's nothing we can do to fix this?" He asks hopefully. Regina looks up at him with a sad, broken smile, and shakes her head in the negative. "Okay."_

"_I am so sorry, Robin, I never meant to hurt you. And I am so sorry for being unfaithful to you. I hate myself for doing that to you, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't know for sure, what I know now. I'm just sorry that I chose to figure this out at the expense of your feelings, and that makes me feel like an awful person. I really do care for you, Robin." Robin smiles tearfully at Regina and walks over to her, pulling her into a tight hug._

"_I'm sorry too. I care for you as well, and maybe one day in the future, you and I can become friends. But for now, this has to be it for us. I love you, Gina." Robin says quietly, placing a kiss atop her head before pulling away from her completely. With one last look, Robin turns on his heels, walking away from the girl that he loves, leaving her behind with tears streaming down his face._

_Regina watches him go and releases a shaky breath. _This is for the best_, she reasons. Staying with him would have just been one big lie, and would have hurt him more if it had gone on any longer._

_She felt she did the right thing. _

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"Did you really tell her that? Are you high, Regina?" Robin asks as he throws a French fry at me. I pout as the greasy object gets stuck in my hair, causing both Kathryn and Robin to laugh. I pick the fry out of my hair, and throw it back at him, causing him to chuckle in amusement. "It's not polite to throw your head lice across the table, Regina." He says in a mock stern voice. I roll my eyes at him and crack a small smile. It's always nice to spend time with him when I can. Robin is an electrical engineer at a power plant just outside of town, and he works crazy hours. Not to mention that he recently got married to a woman named Marian, and they now have a two month old son named Roland. After our break up, my relationship with Robin was rocky for a bit, but about a year after we went our separate ways—well, not _too_ separate, seeing as we still attended the same university—he called me up for drinks, and from then on, he's been the greatest friend, aside from Kat, and now, Emma, that I have ever had.

"You're so mature." I say to him with an eye roll.

"Coming from the woman who stores food in her hair." I playfully glare at him, causing him to laugh. "But seriously, getting back to the topic at hand: why the hell would you tell Emma that you didn't want to label your relationship? It's obvious that you're in love with her." He states plainly, causing me to choke on the fry I was just nibbling on.

"I—I'm not—

"But you're on your way there. It's obvious by the way you talk about her, and the way your eyes light up just at the mention of her." He says with a smirk. Just as I'm about to refute his statement, the vibration of my phone distracts me. I pull my phone off of the table, unlocking the screen to see a new message from the current topic of our conversation.

_**Emma:**__**Hey Regina. I miss you. I really wish you would have come down to Storybrooke this weekend. Everyone's here, well, minus you and Kathryn, who I have yet to meet by the way. Anyway, Granny said thank you for the birthday wish, and that she wishes you would have come down so that she can interrogate you about your secret life over there. Anyway, I hope you're having a great weekend. See you on Monday!**_

_**Regina: I miss you too, Emma. And my weekend would be so much better if you were here with me. By the way, you'll get the chance to re-meet Kat very soon, I promise. Also, tell Granny that she'll get the chance to interrogate me as much as she wants in May when I come down for a visit during summer vacation. I can't wait to see you on Monday, Swan :)**_

_**Emma: Glad to hear that you're missing me as much as I'm missing you lol :D so, the party is now in full-swing. I will text you when I get back to my parents' house. Expect a call from me later! Bye!**_

_**Regina: I will be holding you to that, dear. Have fun, Swan :) Mwah!**_

With one last smile towards my phone, I lock back the screen and place my phone back on the tabletop face down. As I look back up at my friends, I notice wide smiles adorning their faces, a knowing glint in their eyes.

"Yeah, you're so not in love with Emma." Robin says sarcastically.

**A/N: TBC! Next chapter will also be Regina-centric and will have some much-needed SQ fluff. Btw, I have a feeling some of you will be complaining about Robin being in this chapter, but I'm just going to say "get over it" and that his presence (in the flashbacks) was necessary for the chapter. Also, though I don't like Robin in OUaT, and I don't ship him with Regina romantically, I have no problem with him and Regina being platonic besties lol. Until next time guys!**


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: To all my American readers, Happy Thanksgiving! For all of you who are at home, completely stuffed with food, here is a new update to keep you entertained while you're cursing that extra two plates of food you've eaten. And for all of my non-American readers, I also hope you enjoy the update lol**_

_**Regina's POV**_

_5 ½ years ago-Amanda_

"_Hey, Regina, can we talk?" Amanda asks Regina, her voice taking on a hesitant, yet urgent, tone. Regina stares at her girlfriend of six months in confusion, not understanding the conflicted expression on the red-head's face. With a silent nod, Regina follows Amanda to a nearby bench overlooking the campus' soccer field. Regina watches as the red head wrings her hands together in her lap, her eyes staring intently at her fingers, refusing to meet Regina's gaze. A sense of dread fills the brunette's gut as the red head's gaze, finally, meets her own, her sharp blue eyes staring intently into Regina's. "I don't think we should see each other anymore." Like a punch to the gut, air rushes from Regina's lungs. This isn't what she was expecting. Not at all. _

"_Why?" Regina squeaks out in utter disbelief. Amanda stares at Regina with a small, pitying smile, regarding the younger girl carefully._

"_I just…I can't be what you want me to be." The red head says simply, causing a look of puzzlement to cross Regina's features. _

"_I'm sorry, but what exactly do I want you to be?" Regina asks in confusion, her head tilted to the side in question._

"_Faithful. You want me to be faithful." Forget the punch in the gut; that statement alone felt like being run over by a UPS truck….thrice. "You're a beautiful girl, Regina, and as much as I like you, I just can't take you seriously. You're young, you're naïve, and you're completely new to the whole 'dating other girls' thing, and as cute as I thought it was in the beginning, it's beginning to bore me. There's nothing exciting about you. You're so prim and proper all of the time. You never know when to let loose. I mean, sure, you're great in bed, but that's all the use I have for you right now. Just someone to warm my bed. But the thing is, you aren't even the only girl warming my bed anymore. I've been sleeping with other people behind your back, and the only reason I'm telling you this now, is because I can't continue pretending to be in a happy, committed, relationship, when I just want out. I heard that honesty is key, so I'm being honest with you. We're over." _

_Regina stares at the other girl in disbelief, tears forming in her eyes at the blatant rejection, and cruelty, of the breakup. Without another thought, Regina's hand moves on its own accord, slapping Amanda across the face with blunt force. Amanda, too shocked by the hit, doesn't react to it, only stares at Regina in bewilderment. Regina shakes her head, holding back the tears threatening to escape, and stands up, walking away from the girl who was supposed to care for her, but didn't. _

_She wonders if Robin felt this bad after their breakup…_

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"Okay class, see you all again on Wednesday." I tell the class with a small smile, watching as they gather up their belongings and rush out of the door. All but one remain in the classroom, and before I can stop the grin from forming on my face at the sight of her, it appears anyway, growing even larger when she returns it. As I put the remainder of my files into my briefcase, I pull the leather strap over my shoulder, meeting my blonde companion in front of my desk.

"Hey, Regina!" Emma says enthusiastically, the large smile from seconds ago, still plastered on her face. I smile back, a small laugh escaping my throat at her enthusiasm.

"Hi, Emma!" I exclaim back.

"I've missed you." She says a little quieter this time, discreetly taking my hand in hers. I smile at the small squeeze she gives my hand, before pulling hers away, and offering me a bashful smile.

"I've missed you too. So, you never told me how your Sunday with your parents went." I say to her as I begin making my way out of the classroom, Emma following closely behind me. I halt my movements for a second, allowing the blonde to catch up to me, and when she does, I begin walking again.

Emma rolls her eyes and lets out an exasperated breath. "Well, it was kind of like every other visit I've made home since starting college. First, they questioned me about my academics, then my grades, my professors, Ruby and Belle, whatever new friends I've made, and my relationship status." Emma says the last part so nonchalantly, that I can't help but cut my gaze to her, only to see her cheeks tinted pink. Her expression is, thankfully, not as blasé as her tone.

"And what did you tell them?" I ask curiously.

"Oh, you know. I told them that my grades are great, my professors are cool, Ruby and Belle are irritating, and that I've made one new friend, who I think is amazing." She tells me, purposefully avoiding the last topic.

"What about your relationship status?" She sighs loudly and shrugs.

"I just told them that I'm casually dating someone, and that I don't know whether or not it will turn into anything serious." She tells me, her green eyes staring hard into mine. My breath hitches at the searching look, and I halt all movements, just barely ten feet away from the building holding my next lecture.

"Look, Emma…." I start, wanting more than anything to explain my previous reasoning from last weekend, only to be cut off by a wave of a hand.

"No, I understand Regina. Look, I really _really_ like you, and I want nothing more than to be your girlfriend, but I also understand if that's not what you want. At least, not right now. Right now, I'll be whatever you want me to be, because if I'm being honest, I don't want what we have to end. So, if that means that I'm currently stuck in limbo, between being your friend and girlfriend, then so be it. I'm not trying to pressure you into anything you're not ready for." Emma says earnestly, her voice holding such conviction and passion that I temporarily forget how to breathe. Where did this woman come from, and how did I get lucky enough to have her in my life?

"Thank you, Emma, but you have to understand—

"Regina, you don't have to explain anything to me now. I did a lot of thinking this weekend, and as upset as I've been about you not wanting to label our relationship just yet, I've also realized that there may be experiences in your past that have brought upon your current view on relationships, and why you're so hesitant to be in one at the moment. So, I'm telling you right now, whenever you're ready to talk about it, I'll be here. And whenever you're ready to take that next step with me by becoming my official girlfriend, and vice versa, I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere, so please, take all of the time you need." I feel my heart soar at her statement, and I swear there are butterflies flapping around in my stomach. I don't think I've ever felt like this before, and I don't know whether to feel delighted, or terrified.

"You'd really wait for me?" I ask quietly. She nods in earnest, a small smile on her face. "Why?"

"Because you're the only woman I have ever wanted, and what I feel for you is strong and true. Not everything is black and white, and I believe that right now, you and I are just in a gray area. I'm sure we'll be in the white area right after you figure everything out." She tells me with a shrug, the small, hopeful smile, still on her face. I look around our surroundings briefly, and see two students currently walking into the neighboring building. Once they're inside, I place a quick, fleeting kiss, to Emma's lips, catching the blonde by surprise.

"I don't know what I did to deserve someone like you, but I'm sure as hell happy that you've been brought to me." I say truthfully, causing a beautiful smile to bloom on the blonde's face. When I remember that I have another class to teach, I, hesitantly, take a quick look at my wristwatch and sigh. "I have about three minutes to get to class, so I really should go. I'll text you later. Maybe we can get a coffee or something later on in the day?" I suggest. She smiles widely and nods enthusiastically. "Great. See you later, Swan."

"See you…" She trails off cutely, offering me a small wave before turning on her heels, and heading into the opposite direction.

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_4 years ago—Aubrey_

"_So, you're breaking up with me?" a 23 year old Regina asks her blonde-haired, hazel-eyed girlfriend of 3 months. The blonde nods her head silently, an expression of genuine regret on her face. Regina nods at that, her jaw clenched tightly as she forces herself not to cry. "May I ask why?" She asks softly, not really sure if she wants to know the actual reason, but also not wanting to be left in the dark. The blonde releases a long breath, one that she didn't even realize she was holding, and turns towards her, now, ex-girlfriend; a grim expression now on her face._

"_I-I cheated on you. I am so sorry… I don't know why I did it. All I know is that I did, and that I can't take it back." _

"_Do you regret it?" Regina asks, a lone tear trailing down her cheek. Aubrey looks down, shaking her head slowly, and sniffing loudly._

"_I regret hurting you, but I can't say that I regret doing it…"She trails off, casing Regina's heart to break at the words. The same words that she had said to Robin just two years ago. It makes sense that the same thing would happen to her. After all, she does deserve it. _

"_Okay…." Regina says brokenly, sniffing loudly as a few tears run down her face. Wordlessly, the brunette rises up from her seat across from the blonde, and walks away, leaving behind the second girl to prove that she isn't worth being faithful to. There's no need to question why Aubrey doesn't regret cheating on her or who it was with. All that matters is that Regina wasn't worth the time and effort to love and commit to. _

_This is her karma, and unfortunately, karma's a bitch._

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"So, apparently my nephew, Ethan, has a little girlfriend back in Boston. I don't know whether or not I should find it cute, or horrifying." Emma says to me with a mock horrified expression on her face. I chuckle at the look and poke her in the cheek. She smiles brightly at me and leans in, placing a lingering kiss to the corner of my mouth. My face warms at the contact, causing her to giggle cutely. I grin at her and allow myself a moment to study, and admire, her facial features. I take in the curves of her cheekbones, the depth and light of her green eyes, and the sincerity of her smile; she's the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. It's hard to believe that she's the same little girl I used to babysit; the same little girl who was always so shy around me and refused to make eye contact with me on several occasions. She's grown and matured so much, turning into this wonderful woman. A woman who wants me, for me. A woman who is willing to _wait_ for me. A woman who _has been_ waiting for me.

What did I do to deserve her? To deserve such patience, care, and affection?

"Regina?" Emma asks in concern, nudging me gently in the shoulder, successfully breaking me out of my reverie. I blink my eyes a few times, attempting to rid my eyes of the blurriness that has taken over them. When my vision has cleared, I focus my attention on Emma, trying my best to ignore the flurry of butterflies fluttering around my gut at the sight of her concerned expression. Concern for me. "Are you okay? You kind of just blanked out for a few minutes."

"I'm fine, I was just thinking." I say vaguely, casing her perfectly manicured eyebrow to raise in question.

"May I ask what you were thinking about? Or is that crossing the line? Because if so…" I cut her off, gently pressing my lips to hers. She smiles against my lips, relaxing herself further against me, a happy sigh escaping her mouth. As I pull back, immediately missing the contact, Emma's eyes flutter open, staring at me with a lopsided smile on her lips. "What was that for?" She asks goofily, causing a chuckle to escape my throat.

"For being you and making me feel like I matter."

Emma looks deeply into my eyes, her gaze, seemingly, penetrating into my soul. "You do matter, Regina. You matter to me, to Kathryn, to your parents, and to all the people of Storybrooke. Whoever made you feel like you didn't, is a blind asshole who deserves to be maimed."

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_3 years ago-Lindsay_

"_I'm sorry, Gina, but I can't be with you anymore. I no longer feel that spark with you." The brunette says to an unsurprised, 24 year old Regina. Regina looks blankly at her girlfriend of 8 months, not even pretending to act surprised. She knew this was going to happen; this is what always happens. She'll get into a relationship with a girl who seems genuinely interested in her, only for the girl to turn her back on Regina months later, breaking up with her out of the blue. Regina isn't surprised. And that's what makes this so sad. _

"_Let me guess, you also cheated on me, right?" Regina asks in an emotionless tone, taking Lindsay by surprise. The older brunette blanches, stuttering as she tries to come up with a quick lie to refute the statement, only to realize that it's of no use. She's been caught._

"_I-I—look-_

"_Save it. I don't care. It was nice while it lasted, huh?" Regina says, completely expressionless. "Have a great life, Lindsay." And with that, Regina turns her back on yet another woman who has belittled her worth._

_XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX_

_2 years ago—Mallory_

"_Look, Regina—"Regina immediately cuts her off. _

"_Just stop there. You're breaking up with me because the girl you're cheating on me with is so much more fascinating, right?" a 25 year old Regina states in an exasperated tone. Her girlfriend of 3 months looks surprised by the outburst, opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water. "That's what I thought. We're through. Thanks for being, yet another woman, to waste my time and make me feel like shit." Regina says, completely expressionless, walking away from the last woman she will ever allow to make her feel this way. _

_She's done._

_She's done with trying to pursue a worthwhile relationship. She's done trying to find a woman who will actually make her feel like she's worth something. So far, that's proved to be ineffective, seeing as no woman she has dated has ever shown her that she had worth. From this day on, Regina is done. Karma has proved not to be on her side over the last few years, and probably never will be. _

_There's no hope for her. She's just meant to be alone._

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"Well, thank you for your vote of confidence, dear. Though, I wouldn't go as far as wishing for these people to be maimed." I say with a forced chuckle, trying to shake off the barrage of flashbacks that just assaulted my mind. Emma seems to sense my unease, taking my hand into hers, and holding it tightly, while pulling my body closer to hers. I allow myself to be gathered up into Emma's arms, resting my head in the crook of her neck while enjoying the feel of her strong arms wrapped around my shoulders.

"I don't think I went far enough, to be honest. You don't have to tell me what happened in your past to make you feel like this, but I do hope that sometime in the _future_, you will trust me enough to share your thoughts and feelings with me." She says genuinely, causing my heart to constrict tightly in my chest.

"Why do you care so much?" I ask suddenly, tilting my head to the side so that my face is looking up at Emma. Or, more like, Emma's chin. She tilts her head downwards, only managing to catch sight of my own chin. She chuckles a little at our odd angle, as do I, before her expression turns serious. Or, judging by the lack of laughter escaping her mouth, I _assume_ that her expression has turned serious.

"I care so much about your well-being, because I care about _you_. I've had a thing for you for the last twelve years, Regina, and even though I was too young to truly understand it until high school, I know now that you mean a lot to me. More than you can possibly know."

"And how are you so sure that what you feel for me is real, and not just some left over feelings from your childhood crush?" Emma slowly scoots away from me then, looking at me with an intensity that causes me to shrink back in mild discomfort.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what, dear?"

"Why are you making it seem like it's impossible for me to have real feelings for you? As if you're not worthy of my affections?" She asks with a protective edge to her voice. I open my mouth to sputter out an answer, only for Emma to silence me with a wave of her hand. "You're beautiful, talented, smart, caring, sweet, sexy; basically everything positive I can think of. I have been in love with you since I was eight years old, and yes, I admit, my love from back then was completely juvenile; at the time. But, now, after getting the opportunity to know you again, I realize that all I'm doing is repeating history. I'm falling for you, Regina, and maybe it's too soon for me to be telling you this, or too soon for me to be feeling this, but I do. And I don't think I could stop feeling this way for you if you tried. You're amazing, and you're worth something. I think it's time you start believing that." Emma says softly, her green eyes so full of compassion…and something else. Something I'm afraid to analyze. Something I secretly want, but don't think I'm ready for. I can't allow myself to go through this again.

"I can't do this, Emma. I have to go." I tell her, standing up quickly, and gathering my things. She stands up too, reaching for my hand which I quickly pull away.

"Regina…"

"I'm sorry, Emma. I-I can't go through this again. I'm just…I'm going to go…" And with that, I turn on my heels, leaving behind a stunned Emma.

I can't allow myself to fall into a false sense of security. As much as I want to believe that Emma really wants me—the same way that I want her—I can't. I've allowed myself to believe, one too many times, that my past girlfriends cared for me, only for them to turn around and laugh in my face. I want Emma so badly that it hurts, and if it turns out that she doesn't really want me as much as she's claiming she does, then I think she'd break me.

This is my karma. It always has been.

I don't deserve her.

**A/N: So, there was fluff, there was drama, and there was a tiny bit of angst. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will be the final chapter, and probably the longest one yet. I'm predicting between 4 and 6 thousand words long, so you have that to look forward to! Please read and review! It's nice to know if people are still reading and enjoying the story... And don't worry dear readers, SQ will get their happy ending :P**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello readers! Well, I'm sad to say this, but this will be the final chapter of this story :'( I know, it's sad, but all good things must come to an end. I've had a blast writing this story and receiving some of your wonderful messages and reviews regarding your love for the story. It's meant a lot to me. This is a super long chapter, which means it is most likely riddled with mistakes, but hopefully these mistakes don't distract you too much. So, without further ado, here is the final chapter**

_**Emma's POV **_

"Hey, Ems! Rise and shine!" Ruby exclaims loudly, eliciting a groan of displeasure from me as she steps into my dark bedroom. I peek through squinted eyes as Ruby walks over to my bedroom window, pulling open my dark curtains, and allowing the bright sunlight to stream into my room. I hiss in discomfort as the bright light enters my squinted eyes, rendering me temporarily blind. It's been a while since I've seen sunlight; three days to be exact. Ruby takes a seat at the edge of my bed, staring at me with pitying eyes. "Em, it's time for you to leave this room." She says softly. I throw my comforter over my head and mumble out a petulant "no." "This is getting pretty pathetic, Ems."

"Whatever. I am not leaving this room. Or this apartment." I tell her petulantly, not even caring how childish I must sound.

"You have to. We have our ethics final in less than two hours, and we're getting picked up by your parents later this afternoon. You have to get up, Emma. And you seriously need a shower. Like, your smell is absolutely putrid, which is completely unlike you." Ruby says with a disgusted tone, pulling the comforter off of my head, eliciting another displeased groan from me. I attempt to place the comforter over my head again, only to have Ruby snatch it back and pull the rest of the comforter off of my body—throwing it to the floor.

"Ruby..." I drawl out pathetically.

"No, Emma. You need to stop this. You've skipped three days' worth of classes last week, and Belle and I allowed you to because you're heartbroken, but today is our Ethics final, and you cannot miss that. Regina may be the cause of your heartbreak, but until after your final, she's still your professor, which means that you _do_ need to show up and take that test."

"I don't care anymore, Ruby. I'm not going. Let me fail in peace."

"You're being ridiculous! It's been two weeks since you two have last spoken, and believe it or not Em, Regina looks just as heartbroken as you do. You skipped her class all last week, and do you know what that did to her? It made her incredibly sad. She stares in the direction of your desk at least 20 times per class…which I'd know because I've counted. I highly doubt that she wanted to end what you two had for good."

"She said "I can't" and "I'm sorry"! What the hell else would that mean?" I yell, pulling myself up into a sitting position, staring at Ruby intently. Ruby sighs and moves closer to me, resting her cheek on my shoulder. I sigh loudly, resting my head atop hers.

"It means that she's been hurt before and is scared that you'll hurt her too." Ruby says softly.

"I figured that, but what I don't understand is why she's pushing me away. After she walked away from me two weeks ago, I've left her voicemail after voicemail; text message after text message, and phone call after phone call. She never answers. I told her I'd be willing to wait for her to be ready….I just thought when I said that, that she'd allow me to wait _with_ her." I say with a pout. Ruby lifts her head from my shoulder, staring at me with a sweet smile on her lips.

"You're adorable, Emma, not to mention extremely sweet and caring. Why don't you just tell Regina this?"

"Because…"

"Because what?"

"Because I'm scared that she'll reject me a second time."

"She didn't even reject you a first time."

"She did when she walked away from me. That was rejection enough."

"Hey guys." Belle calls out, knocking on my door frame. Ruby and I straighten up, looking back at her, a concerned expression now marring her face. "You guys doing okay? Are you okay, Emma?" She asks carefully, taking a few cautious steps into my room, wrinkling her nose up in disgust at the putrid smell of my room…or, you know, the putrid smell that is currently _me_. I release a sigh and nod slightly. She nods back, and slowly, takes a seat at the edge of my bed, staring at me with an expression that's between pity and concern. "Emma, I love you dearly, but you need to shower. Actually, you need about 3 showers minimum. You smell absolutely awful; like a dead animal who was covered in formaldehyde and vomit. This is getting pathetic, my love." Belle says with a shake of her head. I groan to myself again as Ruby shakes beside me with silent laughter. I elbow her in the ribs, and she lets out a pained wheeze.

"Bitch..." I mumble out.

"Dead animal." She replies.

"Guys." Belle says with a roll of her eyes. "Emma, you're getting up now and you are getting your bum into that shower! Also, you _are_ going to take your final today, whether you _like it_ or _not_." Belle says sternly.

"But Be—

"Up." Belle says unrelentingly, pulling me by the arm roughly, successfully yanking me off of the bed. Once I'm off of the bed and standing upright, I stare at my best friend with wide eyes.

"Dude!"

"That was so hot, babe." Ruby says approvingly, staring at Belle with dark, playfully lustful eyes. I roll my eyes at their flirtatious exchange.

"Get a room, you guys." They playfully glare at me and throw my towel and some clean clothes into the bathroom, ushering me into it before locking the door behind me.

"We have one! Now get showered and dressed! We're hitting up Starbucks the moment you get out!" I groan at that and begin to strip off my clothing, or in this case, _peel_ off my clothing—shit is ripe—and jump into the, already, running shower. I jump into the shower, directly in front of the spray of scalding hot water, and hiss in pain as the hot water burns my skin, turning my normally pale complexion into a shockingly pink tone. Once my body adjusts to the temperature of the water, I grab my washcloth and Ruby's body wash, and begin scrubbing the grime off of my skin. As I continue to scrub away the dirt of the last three days, my mind wanders to Regina; what she's currently doing, what she's thinking of, whether or not she misses me…just..._everything_. I miss her, and it's driving me crazy not knowing whether or not she misses me too.

I thought that things were going fine with us…I thought that maybe, _just_ _maybe_, she was beginning to feel for me what I feel for her-that she was beginning to fall for me. To love me. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part. Maybe she really was just stringing me along? Maybe she realized that I was way too young for her, and not what she was looking for at all? But then again, why did she look so genuinely regretful and heartbroken before she walked away from me? If she was just playing me, then she would probably look more relieved and slightly guilty….but that wasn't the case. Not at all.

After I'm sure my body has been scrubbed to sparkling cleanliness, I grab some nearby shampoo—Belle's—and squirt a good amount into my hand, lathering my hair up with the vanilla-scented shampoo. As the soapy-like suds begin to surface on my hair, I think of what may have caused Regina to want to walk away from me in the first place. As Ruby mentioned earlier, Regina must have been hurt a lot in the past, hence why she's so resistant to pursue something serious with me. While I do believe that's a viable explanation, I don't understand why she'd think, _I_, of all people, would ever want to hurt her. She knows that I've wanted her since my childhood, she's even endured my brother's interrogation. I've told her more than once that I would wait for her to be ready, for as long as it takes. So why is she still pushing me away?

I thought I made it obvious that I loved her. Maybe what I need to do is tell her? Maybe that will solve this problem…

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"Do you feel better now that we've pumped you full of caffeine and cookies?" Ruby asks softly as she sips on her hot chocolate, a content smile on her face as she holds Belle's hand into her own. I watch the exchange of their lovey-dovey expressions and feel my heart break at the sight. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them, and I'm happy for the love they've found with one another, but I loathe the fact that the moment I almost experienced love…it was gone. While in the shower, I decided that today will be the day that I tell Regina how I feel; how I _really_ feel. If she still wants to push me away after that, then I guess it wasn't as meant to be as I thought it was.

"Not really, but thanks for trying." I tell her, slurping at my Grande caramel frap through the green straw. Ruby and Belle shoot me sympathetic expressions, which I quickly brush off, swirling the straw around in my drink to mix the whipped cream into the icy goodness.

"We still have fifteen minutes until we have to go in for our test. Do you want to walk around for a bit? Clear your mind before you have to see her?" Belle suggests, biting into her chocolate chip muffin. I sigh and shake my head in the negative.

"I think I'd like to sit here and wallow in self-pity for another ten minutes if that's alright." I tell them, picking up my abandoned chocolate chip cookie, and nibbling at the edges of it like a gerbil. They nod silently and go back to their little romantic bubble, exchanging sweet kisses and loving smiles every few seconds. I groan at the display of affection and quickly rise up from my seat, earning me two curious and worried stares.

"You okay, Em? Are you going somewhere?" Ruby asks with wide eyes, preparing to jump up and follow after me if needed. And judging from the position Belle is currently in, she's ready to do the same exact thing. I smile at their immediate protective nature of me, and wave them off.

"I'm fine, I just need some time alone. I think I'm going to go on that walk, after all. Meet you guys in class in 10?" I ask, picking up my Frappuccino and my cookie. They hesitantly nod, and I nod back. "See you guys in a bit." With that, I exit the café, and head towards nowhere in particular. I decide to circle my class' building a few times in silence, occasionally taking a sip of my iced beverage. Drinking something cold while in semi-cold weather isn't the smartest thing to do, but luckily for me, it makes me physically numb. Unfortunately, physical numbness and emotional numbness are two entirely different things. I clear my mind of every negative or Regina-related thought, and circle the building for the second time.

Halfway through my third round, I bump into someone, dropping my, now, empty cup onto the ground. I splutter out an apology and bend down to pick up my discarded cup, only to bump heads with the person I collided with. I lift my head up to meet their gaze, and when I do, my throat goes dry, and my eyes widen. This person's reaction mirrors mine, and before I can get a word out, this person is thrusting the Starbucks cup into my hand, turning into the opposite direction, and walking away.

My body reacts before my brain, and before I know it, I'm jogging after this person, reaching them just in time to pull at the sleeve of their jacket. The person stops and turns back towards me, their mocha orbs avoiding my gaze.

"Why were you running from me, Regina?" I ask the older woman, my voice shaking with sadness. Regina looks up at me, detecting the shakiness in my voice no doubt, concern and regret swirling in her eyes.

"I wasn't—

"Bullshit! You were running from me. You've been avoiding me for the last two weeks, and I want to know why. Did I do something to upset you? If so, I'm really sorry, and I assure that I didn't mean to, but if that's the case, then fucking tell me! Don't just up and go and leave me in the fucking dark." I hiss out, feeling all the hurt and pain contort into anger. I watch Regina's eyes widen, before closing momentarily, releasing a heavy breath.

"I'm sorry, Emma, I really am, but I have to go." Regina says, turning to walk away from me again. Like last time, I grab at her jacket sleeve, pulling her back to me. She releases a heavy sigh and turns back to me, her eyes focused on the ground, completely avoiding my gaze.

"You don't get to walk away from me without giving me an explanation. Not again. I understand that you may have some baggage from your past that is preventing you from moving on, I get that. I really do. And I understand that you may not want to talk about it with me just yet, and I respect that. I told you two weeks ago that I was willing to wait for you, and I meant that. But honestly, I thought that you would allow me to wait _with_ you, not push me away and make me feel like shit." Regina looks up at me then, her eyes wide with worry, regret, and disbelief.

"You wanted to wait _with_ me? Why?"

"Because I care about you greatly, and I can see that whatever happened to you in the past is still hurting you now. I want you to be reassured that what you have with me is real, and that I'm not going anywhere, _despite_ how much you've been pushing me away in the last two weeks." I tell her truthfully.

"And how do I know that you're not just saying that?" She asks helplessly, her eyes shining with unshed tears. I walk a step towards her, placing my hands on both of her cheeks, staring into her eyes unwaveringly.

"Because I've fallen in love with you, Regina. Twice, I may add. Even though the love I felt for you as an 8 year old was somewhat juvenile, it was still love nonetheless. But now, what I feel for you as an adult….it's not juvenile or make believe. It's real and true and unwavering. I know you love me too, Regina, I can feel it whenever you kiss me, or when you stare at me when you think I'm not looking. What I don't get is why you're denying yourself happiness. I know I make you happy, just like you make me happy. Why won't you just give in to the happiness and be with me?" I ask pleadingly, watching as the tears begin streaming down her face. I use the pad of my thumb to wipe away the stray tears, and watch as she stares at me with the most heartbreaking expression I have ever seen.

"Because I don't deserve it." She says simply, placing her hands on top of mine, and gently removing mine from her cheeks. I try to reach out again, but she shakes her head, and takes a few steps back. "I'll see you in class." She says in a barely-there whisper. I open my mouth to say something else, but before I can, she's disappeared around the corner of the building. I release a shaky sigh, and do my best to hold back the tears that are threatening to fall. I pull out my cell phone, and see that I have five minutes to get to class. With another sigh, I turn on my heels and head towards the building's entrance.

Once I've entered the building, and the classroom, I look towards the front of the room where I spot Regina at her desk, pulling out our tests and placing them on her desktop. Her eyes glance up and lock with mine for a moment, before she looks away again, focusing her attention on the stacks of papers before her. I frown at her silent dismissal and make my way up to my desk that is already flanked on both sides by Ruby and Belle. I take my seat, and pull out a pencil, looking at my friends with a sad smile.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asks for what seems like the thousandth time that day. I shrug.

"I ran into Regina before class. She walked away from me again, and said that she doesn't deserve happiness. Even after I confessed my love for her…" I tell her softly, my bottom lip quivering. Ruby turns a murderous glare towards Regina, who, of course, misses the look, and turns back to me with a gentle expression.

"She's a coward, Ems. She wants you, anyone with eyes can see that, but she's scared of getting hurt, and the result of that is hurting you. She probably thinks that you're better off without her, and maybe you are. No woman is worth the pain she's putting you through." Ruby says to me, anger lacing her tone as she, not-so-subtly, cuts her eyes to Regina a second time. Belle shakes her head in disagreement, and takes my hand into hers, pulling my attention to her warm gaze.

"I think she's worth it, Em. She loves you, and you love her. Like Ruby said, she's just scared. You need to continue being there for her, but at a distance. Don't give up unless you absolutely have to."

"I never said that she needed to give up…" Ruby defends, only to be cut off.

"But you implied it! Don't ever give up on love, especially not one as special as this. You two were brought back into each other's lives for a reason, and I am 100 percent sure that it has to do with you both getting your happy ending. With each other. "

"I think you need to put down your romance novels, babe." Ruby says to her girlfriend with a playful eye roll. Belle playfully glares at her. I crack a small smile at the exchange and release a quiet sigh, as Regina motions for the class to pick up their tests from her desk. Ruby stands up and makes her way down, returning a few seconds later with three tests in hand, handing Belle and I one each. We quietly thank her, and immediately, begin filling out our answers.

20 minutes later, I am done with the test, having answered every question on the piece of paper. I look around the classroom to see everyone else still working, and then I look to the front of the room and see Regina behind her desk, staring at me. I stare back, my green eyes locking with her brown orbs. She visibly gulps at my continued eye contact, and eventually, looks away. I sigh to myself and gather up my things, making my way to the front of the room. Once I make it there, I place my test, face down, on Regina's desk. She nods to me, and I continue to stand there, staring down at her with what I believe is a hard expression. She eventually looks back at me, and stares back.

"What?" She mumbles out. I take a deep breath and discreetly look back at the class, seeing everyone still staring intently at their tests. I turn back to her, and move my face closer to hers.

"I love you, Regina, and if you feel for me even half of what I feel for you, then you will come by my apartment complex by 3 pm this afternoon. I'm leaving for Storybrooke at 3:30 with my parents, Ruby, and Belle. If you don't come, then I'll leave you alone, and allow you as much space as you want….but if you do, know that I will gladly be there for you no matter what, and I'll promise to show you how much you mean to me every single day. Choice is yours, Regina." I tell her quietly. She looks away from my gaze, and I stare at her for a few moment longer, before shouldering my bag and making my way out of the classroom.

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"It's 4:00, Emma. I don't think she's coming." My dad says apologetically, his hand rested on the small of my back. I look up at his sympathetic baby blues, only to look away a second later, not wanting to see the pity in his eyes. My mom and dad are very aware of the entire situation—thanks to Ruby and Belle—and they've been pretty great about the whole thing, but also, extremely sympathetic and pitying. I hate it.

"Maybe we could wait five more minutes?" I ask pleadingly, a pout making its way onto my lips. My dad sighs and looks to my mother for assistance. I watch as she releases a sigh of her own, and nods.

"Just five more minutes, David. But that's all I'm allowing you, Emma. You've been waiting for an hour already, and she still hasn't come." My mom says with a frown. I ignore them and continue looking out for her car, or just _her_. I continue looking out for her, until a hand gently snakes its way into mine, offering it a comforting squeeze. I look over to the owner of that hand, and find myself looking into the familiar eyes of my mother. "It's been 5 minutes, Emma. We really must get going." My mom says apologetically. My pout deepens and I nod, tears beginning to gather up in the corners of my eyes. My mom gently tugs at my hand, ushering me into my dad's truck. I take a seat next to Ruby who, immediately, wraps her arms around me, gently brushing away my falling tears.

Who ever thought that love could hurt this much?

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"Goodnight, Em. I love you." My mom says as I settle into my childhood bed, located in my childhood room. It's now midnight, and I am exhausted from all of today's emotionally taxing events. Today sucked, but at least I'm in the presence of my family now.

"I love you too, mom." I say back, closing my eyes as her lips make contact with my forehead. I revel in the feeling of warmth that spreads through me. It's nice being home and in the comfort of my parents; especially after everything that has gone on in the past two weeks, specifically today.

"If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here." She tells me, preparing to depart from my room. Before she can get very far, I reach out to her, grasping her hand in mine. She looks down at our hands and smiles, brushing the pad of her thumb against the back of my hand. A moment later she lets go, walking over to the other side of my bed, and lying down next to me, her front facing my back. I roll over to my mom and face her, tears already threatening to stream down my face. My mom immediately takes me into her arms, shushing my silent cries with words of reassurance and comfort. I melt into the embrace, allowing my head to bury into the crook of her neck, her chin resting atop my head.

We stay in that position for god know how long, and when my tears have stopped, I pull away slightly, resting my head on her chest. I hum in content when her fingers begin massaging my scalp in a way that she used to do when I was a child. It always calmed me down then, and it proves to still be effective now.

"Mom…" I start.

"Yes, Emma?"

"Do you think Regina loves me?" I ask her quietly.

"From what Ruby, Belle, and August have told me? Yes. I believe she does."

"Wait, August told you about her too?!" I exclaim, lifting my head an inch so that I can get a better look at her face. The small smirk on her lips tells me that my brother definitely spilled the beans before Ruby and Belle even got the chance to. Go figure.

"Yes, but that's only because he was happy for you, and so was your father and I, but your brother made us promise not to say anything until you were either ready to tell us, or we absolutely had to. In this case, we absolutely had to. You've just experienced your first heartbreak, Emma, and your father and I would never let you go through this alone. I've known Regina and Cora for years, and judging from the stories that Cora has told me regarding Regina's college years, I understand why Regina is so hesitant to be in a relationship right now."

"Why?" I ask curiously.

"That is something Regina will have to tell you. All I can tell you is that she's been hurt by a countless number of people, and her heart has yet to fully heal. I believe that Regina does love you, but she's simply too scared to fully allow herself to. It's a defense mechanism many people use. If you don't let them in, they can't hurt you."

"What if she never lets me in?"

"Trust me, that won't ever happen. She will." My mom says with a smile in her voice. I stare up at her in confusion.

"How do you know?" I ask curiously. She stares down at me, a small smile painted across her lips.

"Because a mother always knows. Now go to sleep, my love. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow; your father needs help with paperwork at the sheriff's station, and you and Belle are the only ones who now how to do it to Cora's liking." My mom says with a smirk, eliciting a groan from me. She places a kiss atop my head. "Rest up, kiddo." She whispers softly, my eyes beginning to droop on their own accord.

And then I finally give in to sleep, and my world turns back.

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"You guys are lifesavers." My dad says with a beaming smile as Belle and I finish the last of his paperwork. I roll my eyes at him, as does Belle, and we offer him a playful smile, handing over the pile of papers. He takes the papers and looks them over, smiling when he sees that each of them are complete. "Thank you, girls." He says as he places the papers into a manila envelope, sliding the envelope into his black leather briefcase.

"No problem, dad."

"No problem, Mr. Nolan."

"So, here's some money, go buy yourselves some lunch, maybe even a dessert. I'll see you at home later, Emma. I have to go drop this off at Cora's office." My dad states, pulling the briefcase strap over his shoulder. I nod at him and he takes a step forward, placing a kiss on top of my head, before moving to Belle and placing a kiss to her forehead. "See you girls." And with that, he walks towards the station's exit, leaving a crisp 100 dollar bill in my palm. I flash the bill to Belle and she smirks.

"Split this 50/50?" I ask. Belle nods and we share a small smile, heading out of the station. Once we reach outside, we revel in the slightly chilly weather, just glad that it's not numbingly cold unlike the last few months.

"Do you want to head to Granny's? Ruby should be there helping out, and Granny always has change for large bills." Belle suggests. I nod and we make our way across the street to the Lucas establishment. The bell at the top of the door chimes when we enter, and all attention is immediately on us for a moment, before all the attention is back on their lunches. Granny is currently behind the counter, pouring a cup of coffee for a patron, when she spots us, offering us a large, welcoming smile.

"Hello girls! It's nice to see you both again. Ruby is in the back getting some more coffee mugs, she'll be out in a sec." Granny tells us. We smile at her and nod our heads in thanks. Ruby comes out just as we sit down and immediately makes her way over to us, placing a kiss on Belle's lips.

"Hey, babe. Hey, Em. How was your day at the office?" Ruby asks as she plops onto the stool beside us.

"Boring as usual, but it served as a great distraction." I tell her truthfully. She offers me a small smile, before it suddenly vanishes, a serious expression now taking over her face.

"Still no word from Regina?"

"No, none at all. No text, no call, no voicemail. Just a huge pile of nothing. Maybe this wasn't meant to be." I say quietly, a sad sigh escaping my mouth. Belle rubs small circles on the small of my back and offers me a hope-filled smile.

"Maybe she just needs a little more time to think. Just wait it out for a moment, Em. Don't give up." Belle says.

"It's getting hard to keep up hope when she won't even make the effort to contact me."

"Okay girls, what would it be?" Granny asks as she heads over to me and Belle. I order a double bacon cheeseburger and fries to-go, while Belle orders a garden salad with a side of soup. "I'll be right out with that in a sec. Sit tight." Granny says to us with a wink. We smile back in thanks as she disappears through the back door. The great thing about being so close to Ruby and Granny is that we always have our food served to us faster than the other patrons, and we rarely have to pay for our meals. That's what I call great service.

"So, what are your plans for the rest of break? Do you plan to wallow in your room or your dad's office, or do you actually plan to go out with friends? And when I say friends, I mean Belle, Killian, Elsa, Anna, and I."

I roll my eyes at Ruby and shrug my answer. "We shall see." I tell her. To be honest, I haven't really thought about what I'm going to do during this break. I just figured that this week would be the perfect week to distract myself from Regina, and all of the sadness, hopelessness, and pain I feel when I think of her. I take my phone out of my pocket for the first time since this morning, and see no messages, no missed calls…just zilch. My lips form into a pout as I slide my phone back into my pocket.

A moment later, a takeout container, resting inside of a plastic bag, is placed in front of me. I reach for the back, and offer Granny the 100 dollar bill, only for her to refuse it. "It's on the house." I smile my thanks and hand the 100 dollar bill to Belle. "When you get change for it, you can give me half." I tell her, grabbing the plastic bag off of the counter and heading towards the exit.

"Wait, Ems, where are you going?" Ruby calls out.

"I'm going home, I'll see you guys later." I tell them. They smile sadly at me and nod. I nod back, making my out of the diner, and begin walking down the quiet street. I take in the calm scenery before me, admiring how chill everything in Storybrooke really is. When attending a big university, in a somewhat busy town, you come to appreciate quiet places. As I continue walking down the street towards my parents' home, I feel a buzzing in my pocket. I fish my phone out of my jeans pocket and see the one name I've been dying to see for weeks flashing across the screen. I slide my thumb across the answer option and clear my throat before releasing a raspy "hello".

"Emma." I hear breathed out. I shiver slightly as the raspy voice encompasses me in a type of warmth I haven't felt in weeks. But I push that feeling away. I'm supposed to be hurt and angry…which I am. So, there's that.

"Hi, Regina. Is there something you need?" I say coldly, or at least, I _try_ to say coldly. The slight waver in my voice may have given me away.

"I need to talk to you."

"We're talking right now." I tell her as I turn on my street, seeing my house in the near distance.

"No, I mean, we need to talk in person." She tells me urgently.

"Well, as you know, I'm in Storybrooke, so if you really need to talk to me so badly, you can just make the two hour drive down here." I tell her, inserting some sass into my tone; sass that I've learned from none other than her.

"I already have." She says quietly, causing me to stop in the middle of my parents' driveway. My eyes widen when she says that. She came down here for me? She has refused to come down here for years...there's no way she would have come down here for me.

"You're not really here." I retort.

"I am." She states with finality. I release a shaky breath and re-mobilize myself, making my way up to my parents' front porch when I stop suddenly, taking in the sight of the last person I would ever have expected to see on my porch.

"Regina…" I breathe out.

I watch as the usually put-together brunette stands up, lifting herself off of the porch swing, and running her fingers through her hair. I watch as she straightens out the invisible wrinkles on her plain gray V-neck, as well as her dark wash jeans. She stares at me with an expression so full of adoration and love and regret, causing butterflies to swarm around in my gut, leaving me with a light feeling. I gulp audibly at the look, feeling my mouth go dry. "What are you doing here?" I ask her. She takes a step towards me, wiping her sweaty palms on the thighs of her jeans.

"I do love you, Emma. I'm helplessly in love with you, and I admit, I've been a coward. I've been hurt so many times before Emma; so many times. Every woman I have ever dated has cheated on me, and made me feel absolutely worthless. I just…. I didn't want to have to go through that again." She tells me with tear-filled eyes. I take a step towards her, bending down to place my food bag on the floor.

"I would never do that to you." I argue.

"That's what they've all said, Emma. And then they turned around and did it anyway. I just…I was protecting myself. But I don't think I need to be protected from you. Not anymore." She tells me truthfully, her eyes shining with unshed tears and honesty.

"So what are you saying?"

"I want to be with you; if you'll have me. I know I haven't been easy to deal with these last few weeks, and I'd be lucky to still even have your affections, but I promise I'll do better. I promise to believe you, and allow you to love me, because I love you too. So much. It's terrifying to feel this strongly for someone, especially when you've gone through what _I've_ gone through. Love isn't easy."

"I'm beginning to see that." I say with a small laugh, my heart overflowing with joy at the fact that Regina has admitted to loving me, not once, but _two_ times. She hangs her head down at my statement, and I take another step forward, placing my hand beneath her chin to raise her eyes to mine. I look deeply into her mocha orbs and see nothing but love, hope, fear, and worry swirling in her brown orbs. "But, nothing easy is ever worth fighting for." I say, finally allowing a smile to spread across my face. "I'm still a little mad at you, but I still want to be with you. The question is: what do you want to do?" I ask her. She takes a step back from me, a look of confusion taking over my face, and offers a hand out to me. She shakes her hand, gesturing for me to shake it. I place my hand in her grasp and do as instructed.

"Hi, I'm Regina Mills, and I would love to be your girlfriend. I can't guarantee that I will be the perfect girlfriend, nor can I guarantee that I'll be easy to deal with, but I do promise not to run away again, and I do promise to love you as much as you love me and more.—

"Not possible." I say with a smirk, cutting her off. She playfully glares at me and I place my hands up in mock surrender.

"Even though I don't deserve you, I would love the opportunity to work for it until I do. So, Emma Nolan, would that be something of interest for you?" She asks with a small, hopeful smile. Instead of answering her verbally, I lean forward, capturing her lips with mine. It's been two long weeks since I've gotten the chance to kiss her, and it feels so right. After a few moments, I pull away, staring deeply into her eyes.

"Yes. I would love to be your girlfriend. That's all I've ever wanted." I tell her with a content sigh. She smiles at me and rests her head on my shoulder, her arms wrapped tightly around my waist, as my arms wrap themselves around her shoulders. "We have a long way to go from here, huh?" I ask, knowing that our journey hasn't ended here, but has only just begun. I feel her nod against my shoulder, a small sigh escaping her mouth.

"We do, but as long as we're traveling this road together, then nothing else matters. I'm ready to start this journey with you." She tells me, pulling back slightly to stare into my eyes.

"So am I. So, do you fancy splitting a double bacon cheeseburger and some fries?" I ask, pointing my gaze to the abandoned plastic bag on the porch floor. She chuckles and nods, rescuing the bag from the floor. "C'mon girlfriend, let's go in and have a thorough talk over heart attack inducing food."

"Sounds like a plan."

And so that's what we did. We talked, laughed, cried, argued, and did everything we were supposed to do. We may have had a rocky start to our relationship, but I believe that with time it will only get better. This isn't the end for us; it's just our beginning.

_THE END_


	18. Epilogue

**A/N: SURPRISE EPILOGUE! Lol. I hope you all enjoy this little fluffy snippet of their future life together. Feel free to leave a review! Now, this story is officially complete! Enjoy! Follow me on Tumblr you guys! My Tumblr link is in my profile. **

_**8 years later….**_

"Emma, quit it!" Regina squeals out as I tickle her relentlessly. I smile mischeviously as I intensify the tickling, moving my hands from her sides, to the most ticklish part of her—her neck. She squeals even louder as my fingers begin tickling under her neck, her feet kicking wildly, while her arms flail haphazardly above her, trying to use her arms as a shield to block my attacks; but failing miserably. "If you don't stop this instant, I will withhold sex from you!" She rasps out between giggles, causing a halt to my movements. I stare at her, wide-eyed and unblinking.

"Y-you wouldn't actually do that over tickling, would you?" I ask fearfully, slowly moving away from her. She catches her breath, her face flushed, and a small smirk making its way across her lips. I watch as she pushes herself into a seated position on our bed, wrapping her arms around her torso—most likely to protect herself from me, should my tickling attacks resume themselves. If she's serious about withholding sex from me, I sure as hell am not going to risk it. No amount of tickling and shrieking giggles is worth it. Nothing is. She raises a brow at me, a teasing smirk on her lips, and shrugs.

"Tickle me again and find out." She says daringly, her brow quirked in challenge. I narrow my eyes at her and stealthily move towards her on all fours; like a cheetah stalking its prey. She shrinks back against the headboard, staring at me with amused caution. I stop directly in front of her, offering her a mischievous smirk before leaping forward, jumping atop her and wrapping my arms around her. She giggles loudly and wraps her arms around my torso, while attacking my neck with sloppy, playful kisses. I giggle breathlessly, placing a kiss on the top of her head. She relaxes in my arms, her head now resting on my chest as my chin rests atop her head. "So, were you serious about withholding sex?" I ask, causing her to chuckle.

"No." She murmurs into my chest. I enjoy the feel of her body pressed against mine, her smaller, softer frame now resting snugly in my arms. I place another kiss on her head and look over to the large crib placed on the other side of our bed. From my current position, I can just barely see two tiny chests moving up and down in a slow and steady rhythm, alerting me to the fact that our children are still very much asleep.

"How is that after all of that squealing and loud giggling, those two still manage to be sound asleep?" Regina laughs softly and shrugs, lifting her head slightly to get a peek at the two tiny infants.

"They must have gotten that from me." She says quietly, a smile in her voice. "I believe that Henry managed to get your greediness for food though…the kid loves his milk. Amelia on the other hand knows when enough is enough." Regina points out sweetly, causing me to snort.

"That sounds like us, alright."

For the last 8 years, Regina and I have managed to stay together. In the beginning of our relationship, we certainly had our rough patches, and we definitely had our fair share of breaks, but ultimately, we managed to work everything out and find our way back to one another. The day Regina and I became an official couple, she promised me that she would never run away again, and she kept well on that promise. Sure, there were times when she would push me away and request to have her space, but she would, eventually, talk to me about whatever it was that caused the need for her distance in the first place. We've never gone more than a day without speaking to one another after we've fought, and we made sure to make up before either of us went to sleep. You know the whole saying about never going to bed angry? Yeah, we follow that rule.

Besides the ups and downs we've experienced during the first two years of our relationship, everything after that was pretty much smooth sailing. Sure, we still have our fair share of fights about finances, work, the kids, and everything else normal couples fight about, but our relationship and love for another is now stronger than ever. Yesterday marked our five year wedding anniversary, actually. Besides the fact that Regina and I are obviously married, living together, and have two children—which Regina gave birth to using August as a donor—we also moved back to Storybrooke. Five years ago—two months before we became officially married, we moved back to Storybrooke, where we decided to officially start our lives together. Regina took up a teaching job at Storybrooke University, and within two years, has managed to work her way up from professor to Head of the Philosophy Department. I, on the other hand, decided to become a cop, as well as a part-time journalist for the _Storybrooke Enquirer_. Within two years of working on the Storybrooke police force, my dad decided to appoint me as deputy sheriff. I guess things have definitely worked out for us.

"Uh oh, it looks like the silence is waking up our dear boy." Regina says in a whisper, nudging her chin towards the stretching infant, clad in a yellow onesie. I look over at our 2 month old son and smile as I see his tiny arms raised above his head, his tiny fingers wiggling around in a flexing manner. Regina rolls off of me and stands up, walking towards the crib. I take the time she's up to admire her ass, which is clad in black tights. Her ass is amazing, and childbirth definitely did wonders to it. _Great_ wonders, I may add. I watch as she reaches into the crib, rubbing small circles on Henry's belly—which we've learned puts him to sleep. When it looks like he's fallen back into his slumber, Regina walks back over to the bed, readjusting her body into mine, her head rested on my chest with her arms splayed across my abdomen.

"Hey, don't forget to drop Henry and Amelia off at Ruby and Belle's for their play date with Trevor before you go to work tomorrow. I have to go into work extra early to get started on that shit load of paperwork on my desk." I tell Regina, who nods in response. Ruby and Belle got married 6 years ago and had their first and only child, Trevor, 6 months ago. Just like Regina and I, Ruby and Belle relocated to Storybrooke after college. Belle is now the town's librarian, and Ruby now manages Granny Lucas' diner, and like me, is also a part-time journalist.

"This is what you get for procrastinating on the paperwork portion of your job." Regina says matter-of-factly. I roll my eyes twice, once at her, and once at myself. She's right, though. If I would have known that being a sheriff would require so much paperwork, I would have probably reconsidered my career choice. But, as the sheriff of Storybrooke, it's my duty to write down all incident reports, no matter how mundane and stupid some of them are. Storybrooke is a town where the worst crime we've ever had committed here is public nudity. And unfortunately, for my eyes, as well as the eyes of all the local civilians, the person that displayed their junk for everyone to see was the town's drunk, Leroy. _Fucking_ _Leroy_. Almost every call is about him…literally every incident report, minus one, that I have to fill out tomorrow, is about fucking Leroy.

"Whatever." I tell her petulantly. She lifts her head from my chest and leans forward, placing a chaste kiss to my lips. I smile down at her and tighten my arms around her shoulders, nuzzling my face into her chocolate locks.

"Sweet dreams, baby."

"Night, babe."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

"This little piggy went to Disney World, this little piggy went to the strip club, this little piggy went to the Eiffel tower, and—

"That's not even how it goes, Em." Ruby says to me as I count over Amelia's tiny toes, tickling the bottom of her feet. I roll my eyes at my best friend, aiming a large smile towards my daughter. She smiles her toothless smile at me, flashing her pink gums.

"I make up my own words! Mel loves it, don't ya Mel?" I ask the little blonde girl in a sweet voice, her familiar eyes staring back at me. She giggles cutely, reaching her hands out to touch my face, poking at my cheeks. I place a kiss on her fingers, smiling widely at my little girl. I hear shrill giggles sound from across my living room and see Belle blowing raspberries on Henry and Trevor's stomachs, causing the infants to flail around wildly. I chuckle at the sounds, feeling my heart warm with love for not only my children, but for my nephew and my best friends as well. I don't know where I'd be without them. A few seconds later, I hear the opening and closing of the front door, signaling the arrival of Regina. I stare at the entrance of the living room, waiting for my wife to enter. When she finally does, I hop up from my spot on the floor, walking over to my wife and throwing my arms around her. She giggles as I lift her off the ground, spinning us around in circles, while placing tiny kisses all over her neck.

"Nice to see you too, Swan." She mumbles into my neck, placing a chaste kiss there. I place her back down on the ground, pulling back slightly so that I can place a proper kiss on her lips. She kisses me back, deepening the kiss, only to pull back moments later when a throat is cleared behind us. Regina and I roll our eyes playfully at one another, and turn our attention to a smirking Ruby and Belle. Ruby waves awkwardly at Regina.

"Nice to see you too, sister-in-law." Ruby says with a playful roll of her eyes. Regina smiles at our friends and walks towards Ruby, wrapping her in an overly tight hug. Ruby wheezes, pushing Regina back slightly. "Why must you try to kill me with your hugs?"

"Because you keep interrupting the kisses I share with my wife." Regina replies back. She then turns towards our daughter who is on the floor where I left her, being propped up into a seated position by various pillows. Regina smiles at our little girl and walks over to her, lifting her up and balancing her on her hip. "How's my little girl doing? Did you miss mommy?" Regina says to our child in a baby voice, peppering kisses all over our little one's chubby cheeks. Amelia giggles loudly, and Regina pulls back, aiming a large smile at Mel. Regina then walks over to the pull-out couch where Belle is lying with Trevor and Henry. She sits down on the bed and leans down, placing a kiss on both Henry and Trevor's cheeks. "Hey little ones." She says softly, staring at the gassy expressions on the infants' faces with a soft smile. I watch her watching them, with a smile, and walk over to them, taking a seat next to my wife. Ruby sees this and decides to join us, not one for being left out.

"This is nice, isn't it?" Ruby says randomly, placing a kiss on Belle's lips, before lifting up their son and placing him on her lap.

"Very." Belle agrees, smiling lovingly at the sight of her wife making goofy faces at their son, causing him to giggle softly. I pick up Henry, sitting him on my lap, and place kisses on the top of his mussed up brown hair, holding my arms around his abdomen tightly, as I bounce my knees up and down, causing him to make nonsensical gurgles/giggles. Regina holds Amelia in her lap tightly, leaning over to place a quick kiss on my lips.

"So, how was work?" I ask my wife.

"Boring. You?"

"Same."

"You guys have some stimulating conversations." Ruby says sarcastically. I playfully glare at her, just as Regina rests her forehead against the side of my head.

"You're just jealous that the only thing you and Belle have to talk about is how many jellybeans you can fit in your mouth." I respond, quirking a brow in amusement.

"Touché."

"Want to play some video games?" I question, breaking the newfound silence that has descended upon us. All three adults stare at me questioningly, looking at each other in silent communication, before turning back to me and shrugging.

"Call of Duty?" Regina questions. I look at her and grin widely.

"God, you're perfect." I whisper out, causing her to chuckle and place a kiss on my lips. I jump up from my seat on the couch and hand Henry over to Belle, walking over to our television and game console.

"Get ready to get your ass handed to you."

I turn back to my wife and raise a challenging brow. "Game on."

Yup, my life is pretty much perfect. Everything that has happened with Regina has led us to this amazing life together, with our friends, our family, and our kids. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.


End file.
